Dead on a Football Field
by Thyra10
Summary: Eric is the star of the team, Sookie the new assistant coach. He hates her for being a woman in male football. She hates him for being lazy and cocky. Arrogant Bastard meets the Ice Queen. AH. AU. OOC. Rated M.
1. Chapter 1

**Dead on the Football Field – Chapter 1**

**A/N:**

Silly me for starting up a new story before finishing **Dead without a Work Permit**, but I`ve had this in the back of my head for ages and now it was blocking DWAWP – I couldn`t write any more before I got this story started.

This story is a deviation from my usual style. I don`t use a lot of `fuck` and `bitch` in my stories, but when you are dealing with an arrogant bastard and an ice queen, those are the words you have to use. Eric and Sookie hate each other here. Or so it seems.

The story takes place somewhere in Scandinavia and the football they are playing is the one some people (not naming names :-P) refer to as soccer. It`s not important to the story just where it takes place and it could have been anywhere, but this explains the use of _kilometer_ instead of _miles_ and why the football season is in the summer and not the winter. Plus it explains why football is frontpage news – as it is around here (and rightly so in my opinion. Football is my passion!).

I want to thank **Rascalthemutant** at the Alexander Skarsgård Library Forum for reviewing yet another story. I couldn`t have done this without you, you know!

And now I give you Eric and Sookie.

* * *

**EPOV**

"You think you can charm your way out of exercising, Northman?"

I hated how she only used my last name. She had no problem saying Bill, Sam or even fucking Alcide, but Eric was apparently impossible for her to say. Only Quinn was also called by his last name, but that was by choice. His choice.

I smiled my girl-melting smile.

"So you think I`m charming, huh?" I even threw in a wink. Sookie was a bitch, but she had me by the balls. Unfortunately not in the good way.

"Try lazy. You are a lazy bastard, Northman, and now you need to go run the freaking short five kilometers I ordered you to run instead of pestering me when I have better things to do."

I blew a fuse. She called me lazy, for crying out loud. I had worked hard to get where I was. No one calls me lazy. Least of all Sookie "assistant coach" Stackhouse.

The whole team had had three reactions to Sookie`s becoming our assistant coach.

First we were in shock. A female coach to one of the top teams in the MALE football league? Male coaches to female footballers were acceptable, but the other way around? No fucking way.

The second reaction had been smirking and sexual innuendo. We all wondered if she was a lesbian. She was a footballer herself and we all knew how women`s top football was. Full of lesbians. But when we saw her, we knew she was no dyke. The politically correct people claim you can`t see if people are gay, but Sookie was as straight as they come. In fact she was hot. And we all wanted to screw her.

The third reaction was groaning. Sookie turned out to be a bitch with a capitol B. She drove us hard with the physical training and never let us alone on the mental. Granted she got results, but would it have killed her to use a little bit of all that female charm she was carrying?

In just a month everyone on the team forgot that she was a woman. We even accepted her in our locker room. The coaches are always in the locker room after practice and after the games, but it had stirred up quite a commotion when she insisted on being there too. Shit, when I`m naked and a woman is looking, I really want it to be foreplay to hot sex. Not my coach yelling at me for poor performances.

Now I was doing the yelling. No one calls me lazy.

"You have no fucking idea about how hard I`ve worked to get where I am, Stackhouse! I am the fucking star of the team and I`m not about to take orders from a blond little bitch."

Sookie looked at me with cold eyes.

"Will you shut up? You are in a hotel corridor and there could be reporters around any of those corners," she waved her hand as to point at invisible photographers and journalists. "And they would just love to run the story of our `star striker`," she made air quotation marks around "star striker", "trying to dodge training when he has not scored a goal in five … no, six matches."

"You bitch! That was a low blow." I narrowed my eyes and opened my mouth to yell some profanities at her when she grabbed my hand and pulled me into her room.

"If it`s so important for you to yell at me, please do it here in my room and not out in the corridor. Even if you don`t care about your reputation, I do. Bad PR for you is bad PR for the team," she looked at my running shoes and my track pants. "And you are so going running afterwards."

She was so cool and collected, I wanted to shake her, shout at her, kiss her, just to get some kind of reaction.

I went for the kissing. Which earned me a slap.

"What the fuck, Northman?"

At least she was a little bit less collected. She was pissed. And if eyes could kill, I would have been a blob of blood splashed out on the floor.

I was most certainly not cool and collected. I was still tasting her lips on my mouth and feeling her slap on my cheek. Fuck. I was trying to get her out of balance and only managed to send myself into a high-speed chase of my adult self. Because a 16 year-old horny guy had definitely taken my place. I wanted to slap myself where she had slapped me.

"You can not kiss me and you know it, Northman. I`m your fucking coach. Or do you have some coach-fetish I didn`t know about? Have you kissed Andre lately? Do you go for owners too? Sophie Anne should be something for you, then?"

I rolled my eyes. "Of course I don`t kiss men. And I don`t go kissing any 60-year-old ladies either."

"Nice to know that you have some standards," she spat at me.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

She looked at me.

"Well, spit it out, Stackhouse. It`s not like you`re afraid of offending me."

"You would kiss anyone, Northman. You`re a manwhore."

"WHAT? I`m no fucking manwhore. It`s hardly my fault that I`m popular with the girls. Or that I enjoy their company."

"Manwhore," she taunted, a small but far from gentle smile on her mouth.

"Shut up, you frigid bitch."

Her smile turned evil. Then she whispered "manwhore" one more time. I couldn`t help myself, I kissed her again just to shut her up. And got slapped once more.

"You do not kiss me, Northman."

Then the strangest thing happened. She grabbed my long hair, fisted it and pulled me down to her and kissed me. Deeply.

My jaw was down below my knees, or so it seemed, when she pulled back.

"You don`t kiss me - I kiss you," she said.

Fucking hell. Was this the Twilight Zone or some parallel universe? Sookie fucking Stackhouse just kissed me. Coach Stackhouse who had more balls than all the coaches throughout my career and she drove the team harder than a drill sergeant would. My body had screamed in pain so many times because of Sookie`s barking out orders of yet another lap around the football field or 50 more push-ups.

She kissed me.

My brain wanted to run out of this room. No good could ever come out of your coach kissing you with a mean look on her face. But my body had hijacked me and turned off my brain.

"What do you call women who kiss manwhores?" I asked feigning innocence.

"Freaking stupid, that`s what you call them," Sookie said in a cold voice. "And manwhores bragging to other team-players are suicidal, okay?"

"Or else?" I couldn`t resist myself. I had the upper hand for once.

"Or else you are off the team. Or haven`t you read the memo saying `no screwing team members, staff OR coaches? Sophie Anne was so gracious as to send it out just after I was hired."

And there my upper hand flew out the window. Then I listened closer to what Sookie had said.

"Screwing? You may have another concept of screwing than I have, having spent so much time in the lesbian league, but I only remember kissing here. I`m all up for rectifying it, though. I am a manwhore, after all." I pouted my lips in a mock kiss.

Suddenly Sookie pushed me hard in the chest.

"Don`t" push "ever" push "call" push "Women`s league" push "lesbian league!" and with a shove, I was flat on her bed with surprise written all over my face. Sookie jumped me and before I could say anything she sat on top of me, pulling my hair and kissing my mouth.

It took me a good five minutes to remember that I was Eric Northman, I was THE Eric Northman; football star and lover extraordinaire.

I grabbed Sookie`s hips and ground her into my body. I was on fire. The Ice Queen had pushed me onto her bed and was kissing me frantically.

I remembered when she came to the club. We all knew about Sookie Stackhouse, of course. First of all she was the sister of famous striker Jason Stackhouse, the son of a bitch who stole my spot on the national team and won international fame and fortune.

Second she was quite the footballer herself, winning the cup and the series numerous times. That was in the ladies league, so we never thought of it as a big accomplishment, but she did have the trophies to boast of.

Third she had turned coach at a pretty young age, going through all four coach exams faster than anyone before her. Heck, Andre hadn`t even taken all four yet. And she had coached a lady team to win cup medals and series a couple of times too.

We all knew about Sookie and her success, but she was a woman goddammit. Women had no place in men`s football. It was bad enough to have a woman own the team.

Sookie wasn`t what you would call a knock out. We had seen pictures of her, of course. She was the little princes of the damned reporters who wanted to attract more female readers to the sports pages – and to give the horny men something pretty to look at. She was blond and she had large boobs, I suppose that was more than enough for most men.

But I had higher standards. I had dated most models in the country and Sookie was petty plain looking next to them. When Sookie turned up at the club on her first day, Bill immediately started whistling at her and I could see drool forming in the mouths of both Alcide and Sam. Some men are just too easy. A blonde in a skirt and they are rolling over like lapdogs.

Not me. I called her out on what she was. A pretty face to boost the club`s PR. Of course that earned me quite a lot of extra training. Sookie had me working so hard, I often had blood in my mouth at the end of the day. Stupid bitch.

Early on I decided I would crack her. No woman was as strong as she pretended to be and I wanted to get under that thick skin of hers and see what was there. I wanted to thaw the Ice Queen.

And here I was, in her bed, turned on like I never had been before, and she was still in control.

I pushed her over so that I was on top and got up on my knees between her thighs. I hadn`t noticed what she was wearing before, but now I realized that she had already changed into her pajamas. I yanked her pajama trousers off her, pleased to find that she wasn`t wearing any panties, and I ducked down to taste her most private parts.

Being a manwhore, as Sookie called me, isn`t something you brag about to your mother, but it does have its advantages. I was pretty talented with my tongue and I made sure Sookie had everything from my little box of treats. I licked and I sucked and I nibbled and I licked again. Sookie was writhing and moaning and I loved being the one who made her feel that way.

I looked at her face, but I was disappointed. Even if her mouth was moaning, her eyes were shut, which meant that I wouldn`t be able to see her orgasm wash over her.

"Look at me," I whispered and her blue eyes met mine. Suddenly she bucked over, made a guttural sound and her hard eyes turned soft. For just a minute. But I took a mental picture of it and made sure I would remember the look in her eyes forever.

I was hard as a rock and quickly disposed of my track pants. I was about to enter her, when we both remembered something important.

"Condom??" we said simultaneously.

Shit! I didn`t fucking bring any condoms. I had NOT planned on having sex. I was on my way to run the damned 5 kilometers little Miss Ice Queen had insisted I run and now I had the opportunity to nail her good with everything I got, and the lack of a fucking condom was stopping me.

"Shit," I said when Sookie got out from under me. She looked impressingly great in just her top. Granted she didn`t have the tall and lean body of the models I usually fucked, but she had an ass to die for. Round and muscular. Her hips and waist screamed `woman`, but her thighs were toned like the footballer she was. She would never be in Elle, but she could certainly be my personal centerfold.

She went to her bathroom and I could hear a zipper of what I guessed was her beautybag or wherever women kept their toothbrushes, make-up … and condoms. I cheered inside.

Sookie came back.

"At least you didn`t plan on screwing me since you didn`t bring a condom," she said and threw a condom my way.

"But you apparently planned on screwing someone on this trip since you did bring one," I half asked, half stated.

"So the bimbos you usually screw are not that responsible?"

"As responsible as the bimbo I`m screwing now, you mean?" I snickered.

She looked at me.

"Are you going to screw or talk? If you want to talk, you`ve come to the wrong place. I like to have my conversations with people whose IQ is higher than their shoe size."

Fuck. She always had the last word. But then action speaks louder than words and I made a promise to myself that my actions would kill all of her cold and calculating words.

I quickly rolled on the condom and started to devour Sookie`s breasts while positioning myself at her entrance. She hitched her legs around my waist and I gripped her hips.

I buried myself to the hilt in her and thoroughly enjoyed how she gasped for air. I`m not the smallest guy in the world and most women appreciated my size. Sookie was apparently no exception.

Sookie fisted my hair and pulled me to her mouth and we fought for tongue-power while I tried to screw her brains out. Unfortunately _my_ brains were starting to leave too. I had planned on staying in control and watching her losing it, but the intensity of this fuck was just too much for me. Soon I was moaning just as loud as Sookie and we were on the fast track to Orgasm City together.

Sookie let go of my mouth and attacked my neck just below my ear. As this was one of my most sensitive spots, I panicked at the thought of me coming ahead of her. Or that I would come alone. I slipped my hand in between us and gave her clit some strokes. Joy to the world – it made her scream and I could feel her contract around me.

She was coming and so was I. Never in my 32 years of existence have I experienced the much praised simultaneous orgasm, and I had seriously doubted it even existed. But now, with a woman I hated, a woman I wanted to break, with Sookie – I orgasmed with her. And it was indescribable. Amazing. Out of this world.

I collapsed over her body, not caring whether I crushed her. Actually I had no choice. All my muscles were paralyzed. And I felt great.

Judging from her breathing, Sookie shared my emotions. We lay there for a couple of minutes and then we suddenly remembered who we were in bed with.

"So I was apparently wrong about you," I whispered into her hair.

She looked at me.

"I thought you were a frigid lesbian."

"Yeah well, I was apparently right about you," she countered.

"How so?" I didn`t really want to know, but I had to ask.

"You are here and not out running. You are a lazy bastard."

"What the fuck?" I had worked my ass off for her orgasm and she called me lazy?

Sookie gave my shoulder a slap.

"Get up, Northman."

I jumped out of the bed as if it was burning. As if she was burning. Which was ironic since she was the Ice Queen.

"You need to run pretty fast to manage those 5 kilometers before player curfew, Northman."

I gaped. "What?"

"You didn`t expect me to let you off the hook just because we screwed?" She looked at me with amusement in her eyes, but it was no haha-amusement.

I pulled my track pants up and went for the door. I looked back at her.

"I was right about one thing, though. You really are a bitch."

I quickly closed the door after me, not wanting to hear her response.

* * *

**A/N:**

So what did you think of Eric and Sookie? I`d love to hear your opinion on these two passionate footballers.

A word of warning: There will be no lovey-dovey love around the next corner. Sex, probably, but a lot of name-calling too. So please don`t ask me to make Sookie sweet and gentle or Eric romantic and understanding. It`s not going to happen. Of course their emotions will evolve, but this is not your traditional romantic setting.

*Hides from incoming footballs*


	2. Chapter 2

**Dead on a Football Field – Chapter 2**

**A/N:**

**_This is a repost of the chapter because a hiccup from fanfic made this come up without notifications to the subscribers and - and this is the worst part (buhuu) - without making it possible to review. Thank you so much to those of you who have e-mailed med and PM`d me about it *kisses*. _**

Wow, so many great reviews to chapter 1 of this little tale of lust and hate! And so many subscriptions and even favorites so soon! I love it and am honestly a little bit speechless. I also love how so many of you came back and reread chapter 1 (according to statistics).

Thank you so much to **Rascalthemutant** for reading this and correcting my mistakes. And thank you to **Suki59** and **Peppermintyrose** for the classes in swearwords they`ve been giving me.

And now I`m writing on Dead without a Work Permit. I promise!

* * *

**From the previous chapter: **

"You need to run pretty fast to manage those 5 kilometers before player curfew, Northman."

I gaped. "What?"

"You didn`t expect me to let you off the hook just because we screwed?" She looked at me with amusement in her eyes, but it was no haha-amusement.

I pulled my track pants up and went for the door. I looked back at her.

"I was right about one thing, though. You really are a bitch."

I quickly closed the door after me, not wanting to hear whatever she had to say to me.

**Chapter 2**

**SPOV**

"SON OF A BITCH," I shouted, not really sure if I meant Eric Northman or the situation in general. Or both.

How the hell could I have been so stupid? I hit my forehead with my knuckles. Having sex with … no, screwing Eric Northman. This was way beyond calling for the shepherd of Judea. For this I needed all the swear words in the book. Except they weren`t in any books.

This was so wrong, so god-awful wrong. What was I thinking, kissing Eric Northman and then pushing him onto my bed? It was such a bad idea on so many levels. I was not allowed to screw him, I could lose my job, I was being unprofessional, a lousy coach. I mean what coach screwed their players? Well, apart from almost any male coach in the women`s league. And a few female ones?

But it was wrong. So wrong.

And no doubt, Asshole Northman would brag to his team mates and I would be labeled the team whore. I dreaded tomorrow.

Shit, tomorrow. The game was so important and now I had fucked the striker who was already having a dry spell, goal-wise. Now we would all pay the price because Mr. Arrogant would be even cockier and blow even more chances than he usually did.

I had known from the beginning that Northman was a player who needed to be taken down a few notches and you sure as hell didn`t do that by screwing him.

He was like Jason in so many ways. Full of talent, but with no drive. I had pushed Jason to where he was now, but Eric Northman had just leaned back on his god-given talent and never worked his ass off as he should have.

As soon as I joined the club, I swore I would mould Northman into an even better player. I hated to see talent wasted on lazy butts and that was not going to happen on my watch. Eric Northman was 32 years old and could easily be pensioned off in a year or two, but with a little effort, he could last a good five or six years. Maybe even longer. But he didn`t want to make the effort. And that pissed me off.

I had worked hard myself to get where I was.

Jason and I were lucky, we were both born with an eye for football. Both of us knew just where to situate ourselves on the field to make wonders happen and our feet always kicked the ball in the direction and with the force it took to get it where it was supposed to go. We could read the other players like an open book and we quickly learned how to find strengths in our team-mates and weaknesses in the opposition. I had spent hours and hours working on my aim, my stamina and my mental strength to push my talent as far as I could.

Jason had always been too busy with the ladies to care. It wasn`t until I beat him in a few rounds on one-to-one that he realized talent wasn`t enough. Jason was my first self-appointed assignment as a coach and I had done brilliantly, if I may say so myself. Jason was a huge success. He never gave me credit for any of it, of course, but I knew.

And now there was Northman. A huge talent. I had watched him all through the years since he and I are the same age - and he had pissed me off even before I met him. No ambitions. He was happy just being the local hero and scoring all the girls. And some of the goals.

I cringed. Yeah, he certainly did score all the girls. FUCK!!

I wanted to pull on my track suit and run my frustrations out of my body, but I did not want to risk running into the manwhore.

How had I ended up in this mess? And with Northman? I could have forgiven myself for having screwed funny and caring Sam or sweet and gentle Hoyt. Even wolf in sheep`s clothing, Alcide, would have been a better choice. But Northman?

And the sex had been spectacular, it really had. I wished he had had a small dick, been impotent or just a bad lay. But he wasn`t. He was the goddamned best sex I had ever had and I almost threw up at the thought.

I wanted my best sex to be with a man I respected and perhaps even loved. Not with womanizing Northman. What was wrong with me?

I forced myself back in bed and tried to focus on sleep and not on the pillow smelling like the striker of the football team I coached.

**EPOV**

I was surprisingly refreshed when I woke up. Today was the big match day and I didn`t feel the usual weight on my shoulders. So what if I hadn`t scored the last couple of games? I would score tonight, I could feel it in my bones.

I had no idea where the sudden rush of confidence came from. Lord knows, I`d had some insecurities lately. None I wanted to share with anyone, of course, but they had torn me apart. Being labeled as "old" in the tabloids hadn`t helped my trust in myself.

But tonight I was going to show them.

I tried to analyze why I felt so good. It was certainly not the run last night. I hated running. Running was for midfielders, not strikers. It was beneath me to run around like some trained monkey. But Hardass Stackhouse had forced me.

Stackhouse. I had fucked Stackhouse last night. Fucked her good. And I was fucked.

How could she be a good lay? I had fucked prettier girls than her, more giving girls, girls who had adored the ground I walked on and who had let me know. And then Stackhouse turns out to be one of the best lays I`d ever had – if not the best. I groaned.

I didn`t even like her.

And she certainly didn`t like me.

I suddenly realized that she had presented me with the best means to get rid of her. She had screwed up by fucking me. Not only was it not allowed, but she would also be labeled the club whore if I spread the word.

If.

But I knew I wouldn`t. I may be an asshole, but I wasn`t that big an asshole. I would make sure Sookie resigned her job somehow, but not by using her sexual escapades with me as a weapon. First of all – it could come back and bite me in the ass. I wasn`t allowed to fuck her anymore than she was allowed to fuck me. Of course my reputation as a manwhore was easy enough to carry, but I didn`t want to risk getting fired.

Second of all – I wanted to fuck her again. Shit. I hated her AND I wanted to fuck her. Pretty fucked up. Me being turned on by her wasn`t going to metamorphose me into some gentleman-Jim, though. I still wanted her out of the club. If I could fuck her on her way out, fine, but her fine butt was leaving.

I smiled to myself and went to have breakfast in the hotel restaurant.

**SPOV**

Andre had told the players to come to the stadium 3 hours before kick-off. First of all he wanted them inside the stadium room before the home supporters gathered outside, second he wanted to give his usual pep-talk, and third the players had to warm-up – which was my job.

Everyone was there when Mr. Arrogant Bastard decided to grace us with his presence. I had been chewing my nails mentally, nervous to see him again. Nervous to see if he would use last night to tip the balance between us.

I gritted my teeth.

"Very good of you to finally show up, Northman," I spat sarcastically. Andre looked at me from the corner of his eye.

Northman blew me a spiteful kiss and Andre started his usual speech about how important this game was, how close we were to winning the series, how much football is a mind-game and how the players would have to pull themselves together and win this one.

And then he told us we would be playing 4-5-1. I groaned. How did Andre expect us to win with just one player on top and 5 in defense? I hated 5-4-1.

I knew that Andre didn`t trust Sam or our defense, but that also meant that he didn`t trust me. Or at least that he trusted Northman more than me. I had worked my ass off to get the defense in shape. I had worked hard on Sam and his trust in himself and he was now the king of the goal. And Hoyt and Tray were a confident wall of defense.

Northman on the other hand was a liability. I had not gotten through to him and even if his talent was indisputable, his mind worked against him. And his laziness.

And now today`s game depended on him.

If I had been head coach, I would have trusted our defense enough to run a 4-4-2. That way Northman would have had help on top and we would at least have had a shot at getting a goal.

But I wasn`t head coach. Not anymore. Not yet.

I hadn`t noticed that everyone had left the locker room after Andre`s speech. Everyone but me. And Northman.

"So it seems I`m going to score again tonight, huh Sookie?" Eric wiggled his eyebrows at me.

I just looked at him. I probably should have been thrilled that he apparently hadn`t told anyone about our sexcapades, but I could do without the innuendo.

"Like I scored last night," he bent down and whispered in my ear. Was he stupid or did he just pretend to be?

"Fuck you, Northman," I said, not at my most eloquent.

"Ah, but you already did, sweetheart."

He laughed all the way out of the locker room.

**EPOV**

I felt invincible when I entered the football field. This was an away game so I didn`t get the home-roar from the supporters, but I still got more than any of the other players.

I looked over at the coaches and could see Sookie biting her lower lip, as she always did during games. I`m sure she would have smoked if this has been back in the Sixties before smoking was declared unhealthy. Or probably not. Sookie would probably have looked through the silly promises in the cigarette commercials. And she might just have grabbed the Marlborough Man by the balls and made him choke up the truth.

I smiled at the image.

I ruled this game. I owned the ball every time it came my way. I made lops and screwballs and even had a tunnel going. And I scored. Twice. It was fucking incredible.

I couldn`t help looking at Sookie when I did my victory dance and both times she was a sight for gods. She looked utterly happy and she even smiled approvingly at me. I was a goddamned hero.

After the game she let me hug her, and I hugged her good, and blew some hot air down her neck just to see her shiver.

When she went to hug Sam as well, I almost knocked him down. Granted he had done an outstanding job, saving a couple of balls from going into the net, but he had had the help of an enormous amount of defense players. 5-4-1 was chicken shit football, but it made my goals even more impressive.

We were cheering and singing in the shower and for once I welcomed Sookie when she entered the locker room with Andre. I felt like a king and wanted her worship and I didn`t mind being naked when she did. If course I couldn`t have it here, but I had plans for later on in her hotel room. The plane wouldn`t leave until the afternoon the next day, so I figured Sookie and I could have an all-nighter together.

She was the Ice Queen, but I was the human fucking blow torch tonight and she would be a little puddle of water before I had finished with her.

We all dined together and the atmosphere was happy and light, but I was sitting on needles, waiting for us to go to our rooms – and for me to go to Sookie`s room.

After a lot of chit-chat and getting rid of Bill and Chow who wanted to take me out to meet some of the local girls, I was finally in my room. I raided my minibar only to find two small bottles of champagne, and ran down and knocked on Sookie`s door.

I was leaning on her door frame when she opened, smiling my most charming smile.

"Northman," she greeted. "Did you come to run with me?"

I then noticed she was wearing her track gear.

"Oh, I think I can find way more interesting ways of working out," I waggled my eyebrows while presenting her with the bubbling. "Let`s celebrate!"

I was on my way into her room, when I felt her hand on my chest. And it was no caress. She was stopping me.

"I`m going to run a couple of kilometers and so should you."

"I ran fucking five kilometers yesterday."

"And you scored twice today."

"Yes, I fucking scored twice today and I would like to celebrate."

"We already celebrated tonight, Northman. Now you should focus for the next game. Go for a run!"

Her voice was cold and she spoke to me like she would to a bratty boy.

"Go fuck yourself, Sookie!" I shouted and turned around to walk away.

"I might just do that, Northman," she taunted, making sure I wouldn`t get any sleep tonight.

The bitch.

* * *

**A/N:**

Poor Northman. No celebration and now no sleep. *runs off to giggle*

I admire Sookie for being able to say no. Not sure I could….

I hope you still like the story. And I hope you don`t hate Sookie for saying the no none of us would be able to say if we had the hot striker outside our door, wanting to celebrate :-D


	3. Chapter 3

**Dead on a Football Field – Chapter 3**

**A/N**

My nick is Thyra10 and I`m a review addict.  
There was a technical error in fanfic when I posted chapter 2 which meant that you didn`t get the subscription notice – and then you got two or three. It also meant that for most of Sunday, you couldn`t review and I couldn`t see how many readers the story had. That was one frustrating day, let me tell you!

But a lot of you came back and reviewed later or sent me PMs and I`m so grateful for that.

OK, frustrations aside. I got a lot of comments saying that you liked that Sookie said no to the blond striker. So now I can`t wait for your reactions to this chapter…

Thank you so much to **Rascalthemutant** for reading this and correcting my mistakes – even if she gets the same ones again and again (apparently you can`t teach an old Dane new tricks).

* * *

**From the previous chapter: **

"_Oh, I think I can find way more interesting ways of working out," I waggled my eyebrows while presenting her with the bubbling. "Let`s celebrate!"_

_I was on my way into her room, when I felt her hand on my chest. And it was no caress. She was stopping me._

"_I`m going to run a couple of kilometers and so should you."_

"_I ran fucking five kilometers yesterday."_

"_And you scored twice today."_

"_Yes, I fucking scored twice today and I would like to celebrate."_

"_We already celebrated tonight, Northman. Now you should focus for the next game. Go for a run!"_

_Her voice was cold and she spoke to me like she would to a bratty boy. _

"_Go fuck yourself, Sookie!" I shouted and turned around to walk away. _

"_I might just do that, Northman," she taunted, making sure I wouldn`t get any sleep tonight. _

_The bitch. _

* * *

**Chapter 3**

**SPOV**

The plane ride home was like a kindergarten class on the bus to the zoo. Laughter, happiness and a lot of silly fun. Only one person was skulking from take off to landing. Northman.

He was so used to always getting what he wanted and now he was brooding because one woman, a woman he didn`t even like, had said no to him. I shook my head. Northman really needed to grow up.

We went in different directions after landing and I decided to go straight to the gym at our stadium, to work out the stiff muscles from the plane ride.

I was all alone, which suited me just perfectly. I put my iPod in the stereo and found `Roxanne` by The Police. That was my `stretch before work out`-song and soon I was singing "you don`t have to put on the red light" while making sure my muscles were ready for some running and weight lifting.

Suddenly I was singing in a duet. I whipped around and looked right into a part of Northman that had brought me pleasure just two nights ago. I blushed and quickly looked up at his face.

"I thought I was the only one who liked The Police," he said. No smile, but also no brooding.

"And I thought I was the only one working out tonight." I got up and went to my iPod. "I think this is a Police song that fits you better."

I put on `Every Breath You Take` and noticed a smile spreading on his face.

"So you think I belong to you?" he asked tentatively.

"WHAT … no! Do you even know what the song is about?" I couldn`t believe how he could misunderstand me. "The song is about a stalker. You stalked me here, Northman!"

He looked shaken for a few seconds. "Of course I didn`t. I have a crazy ass coach who thinks I should work out all the time. Apparently it will make me a better football player." His voice had turned very cold.

"Right," I said, making it clear I didn`t believe him. "Do you mind if I change the music? Police is my stretch-out music. Now I want to go for the treadmill-songs."

I put on AC/DC`s Back in Black and caught a glimpse of surprise in Eric Northman`s face. I went over to one of the treadmills, got up on it and pressed a few buttons.

Northman got up on the one next to mine and I noticed how he put his at a speed just above mine. After having run for a minute or so, I adjusted my treadmill to go a bit faster. Northman immediately adjusted his as well. I smiled inwardly. I`m a fast runner and Northman is one lazy butt. I decided to make this pissing contest one he would remember.

I adjusted my treadmill and felt my legs and my lungs take in the extra speed. Northman of course adjusted his as well and I decided this would be a contest on stamina rather than speed. I had stamina. Northman didn`t.

We had run through Hell`s Bells and Shoot to Thrill and were halfway in What do You do for Money, Honey when I heard Northman`s breath getting louder and more forceful. I looked at him from the corner of my eye and could see how his face was turning redder.

I couldn`t help smiling to myself. Eric needed to be taught a lesson and be pulled down from the pedestal he had put himself on.

I adjusted my treadmill to go a little bit faster and I was pretty sure I heard a gasp from about two meters to my left.

To his credit, we ran all the way to You Shook Me all Night Long, before he caved in. I was almost impressed – and happy because I was not sure how much longer I could have kept running, great stamina or not.

He jumped off his treadmill and went for the bench press.

"Hey, if you are finished showing off over there, Stackhouse, maybe you could give me a hand here?" Northman shouted.

"Sure. Wouldn`t want you to break your nose when you lose your grip." I deliberately said `when` and not `if`.

"Nope. Gotta look pretty for the girls, you know." He was making a joke, but he looked away awkwardly when he said it.

I helped him put weights on the barbell and he got down on his back and started lifting. I took my position at his head, making sure I had a grip on the barbell, should he lose his.

He lifted ten times, then got up and put on more weight. I knew from his work out charts that he was pressing his limit with the weight he was going to lift now so I moved in and focused to make sure he wasn`t having any accidents. I tried to look at the barbell, but couldn`t help staring at his biceps. They danced up and down.

Suddenly I felt a stare and looked straight down in Northman`s eyes.

"See something you like?" he smirked.

I rolled my eyes. What an ass.

After ten lifts, Northman got up and put on more weights.

"Is that wise, Northman?" I asked.

"So one day I`m a lazy bastard and the next you think I should take it easy?"

He pulled out yet another weight and I was seriously worried. I made sure I had a good grip on the barbell when he lifted it. His face got red and he groaned loudly under the pressure. My stupid brain immediately remembered when I had last heard that groan.

I could almost see the pain in Eric Northman`s face, but he gritted his teeth and lifted the bar ten times. When he was done, he stayed down for a moment while I went to the leg press.

I put on my usual weight and started working it. After my first round, I got up. Northman apparently wanted to build some thigh muscles too and added 20 kilos to the amount I had lifted and worked it.

I knew this was another pissing contest, but I couldn`t help myself. When it was my turn, I put on 10 more kilos, forced myself to smile and pushed.

It felt like giving birth to a bowling ball and my thigh muscles were writing angry notes to my brain. Shit, this was heavy. I somehow managed to make it through the ten pushes and got up on my now wobbling legs.

Northman of course put on even more weight. I couldn`t see how much, but I knew I had to lift it afterwards. I did so not want to lose face to him.

When he was done, I sat down in the leg press again. I didn`t put on more weight, but almost got a hernia from lifting what Northman had just lifted.

"You don`t have to lift the same as me, you know. You ARE a woman," I heard an annoying voice say. Jesus Christ, couldn`t he let me suffer alone. Did he have to gloat?

"Men and women have the same amount of lower body muscles if one adjusts for height," I managed to say with the little air I had left in my lungs.

"Sookie," he said in a playful tone. "Look at us. I`m 195 centimeters tall and you are … you are itty bitty."

I let go of the leg press so fast it smashed down with a loud bang. I got up, which was quite an achievement.

"I am not itty bitty." I looked down at my index finger which was pressing itself into his chest. "I am a goddamned strong woman and I`m fucking good at what I do so just lay off the comments."

I knew I was ranting and I hated myself for it. I tried to stop the word vomit, but it kept coming.

"I can make you a great football player instead of just a good one, but you are so self-absorbed, you can`t even see that. You think you are fucking perfect, and you do have a great talent, but you have been wasting that talent the last ten years. Don`t you ever wonder how far you can go if you put a little effort into it? Fucking hell!"

I knew I had to get out of there before I started quoting Yogi Berra or something. I ran for the locker room. Actually I stumbled because my legs were still aching.

The wooden benches had never looked as appealing as they did just then. I sat down and exhaled. And then I exhaled again. I couldn`t make up my mind whether to take a shower or go home so I just sat there.

Suddenly the door opened.

"This is the women`s locker room, Northman. The sign on the door with a person wearing a skirt should give you a hint. So piss off."

Eric Northman did no such thing. He walked in with a smirk plastered all over his way too good-looking face.

"So you can go to my locker room when you want to, but I can`t come to yours. That hardly seems fair," he said, his smile becoming more dangerous.

"What do you want, Northman?"

"Do your legs hurt?" he asked.

"Of course, my legs hurt. What`s your point, apart from gloating?"

"Okay, my arms hurt too. From the bench press."

"Good for you, Northman. Now will you turn around and get out of here?" I was getting pretty agitated.

"So I was just wondering," he continued as if I hadn`t said a thing. "I was wondering which position you and I are going to fuck in since we are both in severe pain."

I gaped and Eric Northman used my stunned silence to walk over to me and get down on his knees between my legs. He pulled my work out pants down carefully so as not to put extra strain on my thighs. He was surprisingly gentle and then I realized that his arms were hurting so much, he couldn`t be anything but gentle. I bent down and pulled my shoes and pants all the way off.

Eric Northman looked me in the eyes and then his face went down between my legs and he started licking and sucking me. I couldn`t help moaning, partly from what he was doing to me and partly from what I knew he was going to do. I leaned back against the wall.

His broad shoulders pressed my thighs apart and after a while the pain disturbed the pleasure.

My personal licker stopped and looked up. Then he seemed to realize what was wrong and he pulled my legs onto his shoulders where they rested just perfectly. He then resumed his urgent business and I was brought closer to locker room heaven - and any pain I may have been in, was forgotten.

I couldn`t help yelling out my pleasure when I came, which of course made Northman look insufferably pleased with himself. He carefully took my legs down from his shoulders and put them on the floor.

He then drew out a condom from his pants pocket, pulled his pants and underwear down and put on the condom. Before I caught my breath after the mind-bending orgasm he just gave me, he grabbed my hips, pulled me closer to him and pushed himself slowly into me, while holding on to my legs.

Eric Northman was born with a football talent he never really bothered to polish to perfection, but as much as I hated to admit it, he was not lazy in the sex department. He started out slowly and then pushed harder and harder while kissing me deeply.

I could feel his hands trembling on my hips and realized that his arms were in pain from the bench press. I carefully lifted my legs, even if it was painful, and pulled him closer by locking my ankles on his back.

I then took his hands from my hips, kissed his knuckles and whispered to him. "You can do the job with your legs, I`ll use my arms."

I grabbed his butt and pulled him like he had pulled my hips. His arms weren`t unemployed, though, because he had one sneaking it`s way under my t-shirt and sports bra to my breast and one going down between my legs.

His hands, his cock and his mouth on my neck were all doing their job perfectly. I was quickly running towards a wonderful orgasm. And I wasn`t running on any treadmill. I was moving forward. Fast.

I could feel his butt muscles tighten and knew he was getting close as well.

"Fuck, Northman," I yelled.

"You are! You are fucking me good, " he murmured.

And by that we tumbled over the edge together. Again. What were the odds?

Northman hung over me for a few minutes and I wasn`t exactly pushing him to move. The less movement right now, the better. Actually I just wanted to roll over and sleep, but I knew I would have to crawl down to my car and drive my way home to find the luxury of a mattress. What on earth had possessed me to have sex in the locker room?

I suddenly stiffened. If both Northman and I had chosen to go work out after the plane ride, someone else might get the bright idea too. I pushed at Eric`s shoulders to make him get up.

He jumped up, took off the condom, pulled up his underwear and pants and walked towards the door. Then I suddenly thought of something. I got up and pulled my own pants up and looked at him.

"How come you had a condom in your pocket?" I asked, dreading the answer.

He just looked at me with the smug smile I had come to hate.

"You asshole," I shouted.

He looked at me with a mock-innocent expression. "I thought I was a lazy bastard?" And with that he was out the door.

Oh, he was a bastard, all right.

* * *

**A/N**

The striker has to win a few arguments too, right? *whistles innocently*

So what do you prefer – Sookie slamming the door in Eric`s face or her saying yes? Personally I prefer a little of both.


	4. Chapter 4

**Dead on a Football Field – Chapter 4**

**A/N:**

Wow, thank you for all the great reviews, PMs and for subscribing and making this story your favorite. It warms my football-loving heart. And this time I`m giving you a longer chapter for all your kind words :-D

Thank you so much, **Rascalthemutant**, for reading this and giving it thumbs up. Also thank you to all the lovely ladies at the **Alexander Skarsgård Library Forum** for teaching me how to say "oral sex on men" in less clinical terms.

* * *

**From the previous chapter:**

"_How come you had a condom in your pocket?" I asked, dreading the answer._

_He just looked at me with the smug smile I had come to hate._

"_You asshole," I shouted._

_He looked at me with a mock-innocent expression. "I thought I was a lazy bastard?" And with that he was out the door._

_Oh, he was a bastard, all right. _

* * *

**Chapter 4:**

**EPOV**

I felt like skipping all the way home. I got in my car, though, with a smirk glued on my face. I felt good. So good. So fucking good.

I was so pleased with myself. Sookie had given me a run for my money, but I had shown her. I was in control and she had been like clay in my hands.

And I had had great sex. No, fantastic sex. In the god-damned locker room. I got hard just thinking about it.

When I came home, I took a quick shower and went to bed. For the first time since Sookie started in the club, I actually looked forward to seeing her next day. I owned her and she would certainly know it during training.

So it was with a huge smile I met the team and the coaches the next day. And fuck did that smile get wiped off fast.

Sookie went berserk on my sorry ass. Push-ups, interval running, practice shots – and always her high pitched voice in my ears. Fucking bitch. I was dead at the end of the day and knew I would have to do something. My chance came when Sookie and I suddenly were alone at one end of the football field.

"I would have said you needed cock if I hadn`t known you just had my perfect specimen last night. What the hell is wrong with you? Don`t take our locker room action out on me, you mean bi…"

I never got to finish my sentence.

"You need to shut up, Northman, and you need to start showing me some respect. If you think I`m giving you any sort of special treatment, you are so wrong. Look around. Everyone else is working so much harder than your whining ass and you still complain. You are a fucking piece of work. I`m busting my butt to make you a better player and all I get is bitching. So just shut up and do as you`re told. And one more word of disrespect, you`re off the team."

What the hell?

"What the hell, bitch? You can`t haul me off the team. I`m the fucking star striker."

"In case you haven`t noticed, there are plenty of talented and younger strikers who work hard to try to take your place. Look at Quinn`s progression, for instance. If you don`t straighten up, he`ll get the chance sooner rather than later." Sookie narrowed her eyes. "And the first thing you need to do is respect your fucking coach."

"Respect is earned, Sookie," I spat out.

"I have earned your respect, Northman. But you`ve failed to notice because you`re so focused on my tits and my lack of dick. Now is the time for you to give me your respect. Even if you have to fake it. I`m not kidding about you being off the team if you don`t show the right attitude." She poked her index finger into my chest.

And then the weirdest thing happened. I was tongue-tied. The cat had fucking come into my mouth and stolen my tongue just when I needed it most. So I grabbed her finger and held it tightly. We had a staring contest for about five minutes before Sookie blinked and growled.

"Grow up, Northman."

And then she walked off.

The bitch. The fucking bitch.

I hated her, I really did. And yet, all I wanted was to fuck her again.

My dying need to screw my coach made me actively look for her after the team training sessions. I spent way too much time in the work-out room, always with a condom in my pants. And I ran. I ran more than the fucking five kilometers my bitch coach wanted me to run. And for some reason, my running sessions always ended up in her neighborhood.

I was so pussy whipped, it was embarrassing. I should have opened my little black book with phone numbers and called one of the lovely ladies to work on my growing case of blue balls, but I didn`t. I wanted to screw Sookie. And I wanted her out of my life and my club.

When the hell did life get so complicated?

**SPOV**

I always had an eye on Northman and his progression. He seemed to work harder, he disrespected me less – at least out in the open, but he was all over the place in his game. Some days he would excel and work magic and other days he would play like a third-grader. He was a liability and I could see how it was eating his self-confidence.

Which was what I wanted. Great athletes had to go down in the basement from time to time, to find a new and improved version of themselves. After a particularly rotten game, I decided now was the time to have a serious conversation with him. So I cornered him after practice.

"We need to have a talk, Northman," I told him. "How about you go shower and meet me in my office in an hour?"

He looked at me and nodded slowly. Then he got a dangerous glimpse in his eye.

"How about I take you out for dinner and we`ll have the talk there," he smiled and added, "coach?"

My gut reaction was to say no, but then I figured it could actually be to my advantage that we would have people around us. Less risk that he walked out on me in the middle of the conversation.

"Okay, Northman. We`ll talk over dinner. Let`s meet in front of the stadium in an hour."

"With all due respect, Sookie. I don`t take girls out in my jeans. I want to go home and change first. Maybe you want to find your inner girl too?"

"Sure, I can find my inner girl too," I laughed, pronouncing the `too` to indicate that I was expecting guyliners and metrosexual clothing on Northman.

"Too funny, Sookie. Watch me die from laughter," he rolled his eyes. "I`ll pick you up at seven."

And then he was off before I managed to say that I would prefer to go by myself. I hated being picked up.

Five to seven I looked at myself in the mirror and was quite pleased with what I saw. I usually wore jeans or some kind of work out pants. Now I wore a dress. And the dress hugged me in all the right places.

I had nothing against dresses, I just never had any occasions to wear them. Actually I never had any occasions to dress up at all. So it was almost weird to see the feminine woman who looked back at me in the mirror.

At seven o`clock sharp the door bell rang and I opened it to find a very different Northman from what I was used to. He wore a suit and looked amazing. It was probably tailormade because it fit him perfectly. The blue shirt brought out the color of his eyes. He even smelled great.

His mouth was open in surprise when he saw me. I suppose I should wear dresses a little more often. Or maybe not. Having guys drool over me wasn`t what I usually wanted. I wanted them to forget my sex and listen to what I had to say.

But I would be using it to my advantage this time. I was ready. I may not have been a man with a plan, but I was certainly a dame with one.

"Wow, you look handsome," I smiled.

"You too, Sookie. Well, not handsome. You look great!" I got to see all his 32 teeth flashing.

"Why thank you, Mr. Northman." I teased. "Now, can we leave? I`m starving!"

He took my hand and even if I felt rather exposed holding his hand in public, I figured it was all for the best. When he pressed the button on his car key to unlock the car, I heard the blip-blip and looked up. I internally groaned.

"You don`t expect me to go in that penis-enlarger of a car?" I pointed to his red Corvette and rolled my eyes. "If I hadn`t actually seen what you are packing, I would have thought you had a problem in the size-department."

"So you disapprove of my car, but have no complaints about my size? I can live with that," Eric wiggled his eyebrows. "Now get in. I`m not taking the bus just because you don`t like cool cars."

"Nope, but we`re taking my car." I walked towards my more sensible Volvo C30.

"I`m not riding in a chick-car."

"Volvo isn`t a chick-car."

"The C30 is. Do you want to emasculate me completely, Sookie?" He was dead serious.

"Jesus Christ, Northman." I walked back to him. "Okay, then let us by all means ride in your `I`ll-screw-anything-in-a-skirt`-car."

We got in the car and drove to the center of town.

"Just to be clear on this, Northman. We are talking football and nothing but football tonight. I`ve cleared this dinner with Andre just to make sure we wouldn`t get into trouble."

I looked out the window of the car and felt his eyes on me.

"Well, football is my favorite subject, so you`ll get no arguments from me on that. It will be quite the novelty to discuss football with a representative of the weaker sex who actually knows the offside-rules."

"It`s all in the company you choose, Northman. Choose body before brains and you can`t expect conversation."

"Sometimes conversation is not what one wants, Sookie," he said with a voice full of sex.

"Yeah, yeah, buddy. Tonight it`s conversation so just calm down."

We had been quiet for some time when he started to chuckle.

"Too bad you cleared this conversation with Andre."

If Eric Northman could have made quotation marks without letting go of the wheel, he would have around the word `conversation`. Instead he made it with his voice.

"I thought this dinner was to be all hush hush so I booked a chambre separé at the restaurant."

I chewed a bit on that piece of information when he continued.

"That means a separate room."

"I know what chambre separè means, Northman. I`m not stupid." _I`m only with stupid,_ I wanted to say.

"Okay, okay, don`t bite my head off," he took a break and I just knew what was coming. "Not this head, at least," he pointed to his forehead.

I groaned. This was going to be one long evening.

When we were seated at the table, had received our menus and a non-alcoholic drink (I`m a coach, I don`t encourage my players to drink in season) and were alone in the room, I figured I would lay the ground rules. And I would have to do it sooner rather than later because Eric Northman had apparently already planned which positions he would screw me in later on.

I stood up and asked him to do the same. Then I went over behind him, leaned in so close I had my breasts against his back and sneaked both my hands into his pants pockets.

"Aaah, Sookie. I like it when you take charge," he moaned when I accidentaly touched a very hard part of his body. And it was not his thick skull.

I searched around between coins, cell phone and car keys and found what I was looking for. I pulled out two condoms and went back to my seat with them.'

"I see that you came prepared, but we are discussing football and training now. This is not dinner before fucking. This is dinner before making you a better striker. I would slap your horny face if I didn`t think it would have the opposite effect, but Northman, you need to focus now. You have to be able to discuss a future that`s a bit more distant than this night."

Eric Northman looked like I actually had slapped him and to his credit, he did seem to focus on the words coming out of my mouth and not just how he could occupy it later on.

All through first course I told him about my theories on how he could improve himself, carefully mentioning how I had helped other players, among them my brother Jason, go through those exact improvements. I gave him a few lectures in football philosophy and how the body took to different kinds of exercise and noted that I had a pretty good listener in front of me.

When the main course came, I figured I had done enough talking so I started asking.

"What was your big dream when you realized you had a talent for football," I asked him.

He took a few bites of the red steak he had ordered.

"I guess I wanted what all footballers want. I wanted to be professional, play on the national team and maybe go abroad at some point."

"And how do you feel about having succeeded in 1 ½ of those 3 dreams? I mean you have a contract with one of the best clubs in the country and you have played the national team but you are not a regular there anymore and you never made it abroad."

Eric Northman looked hurt.

"Hey, poke me with your fork while you`re at it," he said. Then he chewed on a few more bites of meat. "I don`t know how I feel about it. I mean, I was pissed when they stopped calling me for the national team and I guess I was disappointed when my chance of Man U. or Liverpool never came, but I have a nice life here. I mean, thousands of guys envy the life I`m living so why not enjoy it?"

"Sure, just lean back and be swept off the team by some young hotshot and be a wash up in a bar twenty years from now, regretting the chances he never took." I looked him deep in the eyes. "What I`m trying to tell you is that it`s not too late and I want to help you get there."

"Eric Northman being helped by a woman coach." He sighed. Then he looked at me. "I guess it`s worth a shot. You said you wanted my respect. You`ve got it. But I reserve the right to disagree with you. I can`t be running so fucking much, for instance. It`s busting my knees. And I really have a hard time having a woman yell at me. And…" I held up my hand to stop him.

"You`re just going to have to trust me, Eric. I`m your coach and that means I know what`s best for you. I`m not your friendly neighborhood democratic coach. So I say thank you for your respect, but I have to have your trust too."

"You have my trust with my respect, but what about your respect for me? I`m just a lazy bastard to you." He managed to look slightly offended.

"Yes, you are, Northman. But we`re going to change that."

In the meantime, dessert had come. Chocolate mousse. My mouth watered just looking at it. It wasn`t until I noticed the cocked eyebrows on the other side of the table, I realized that I had moaned loudly at every bite I had eaten.

"I`m going to have to learn how to make chocolate mousse, Sookie," he smiled and I knew that those little moans had effectively stopped any football conversation. Ah well, I would just have to work on his trust in other ways.

I looked at him while slowly putting the last spoon of chocolate mousse in my mouth, carefully licking it all off. I was being the cheapest I`d ever been and I certainly had a buyer.

He leaned over the table.

"I was wondering, Sookie. Am I going to eat your pussy at your place or mine?" He licked his lips to emphasize his point.

I leaned over too and looked him deep in the eyes and said in the sultriest voice I could muster. "If you really want to respect me you don`t call me bitch and you don`t refer to any of my bodyparts as pussy."

I sat back while holding his gaze.

"And I was wondering about your feelings on being tied up."

I smiled, but my heart was beating. In all honesty, that wasn`t a question I usually asked guys. Actually I`d never asked it to anyone before.

Apparently Eric Northman wasn`t very used to getting that question because he shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"I can`t say I`m your typical submissive, Sookie, but for you, I`m willing to give it a try. No whips, though, right?" His eyes flickered a bit.

"No whips."

We were back at my house in no time. I`d rarely seen a striker so eager to score. Cheap pun, but very true. We flew low in his red Corvette.

As soon as we were through my entrance door, he was all over me, kissing, groping, moaning. I had to take two steps back.

"I need to find some rope and something to protect your skin so just hold your horses," I said, trying to be a bucket of cold water in his face.

"You were serious about the tying up," he asked surprised.

"Are you getting cold feet?," I goaded. I knew a dare would help him on. And it did.

"No, I`m never one to say no to trying new stuff so just bring it on." He flexed his muscles under his clothes.

"Go to my bedroom," I pointed in the general direction, "take off your clothes and lay on the bed." I tried my best at keeping my voice stern.

"Yes, Mistress," he winked. And almost ran to my bed, taking off his jacket on the way.

I found the ropes I usually used for hanging my bicycle up when I did the spring cleaning. I also found some old rags. Eric Northman would without a doubt pull on the ropes and I didn`t want him to come to practice the next day with rope burns.

Back in the bedroom, I had one huge naked striker sporting a major wood, lying in my bed with a huge grin on his face. I went to his right arm, covered the wrist in rags and tied him to my bedpost. I`d been a girl scout and used all the knots in the scout books. And then some.

I did the same with his left arm and both legs.

When he was naked and tied up, I started to undress myself. I did give him a little show, since he was looking anyway. No stripper action or poledancing, but I didn`t exactly remove my clothes as boringly as on any other Thursday.

Eric Northman looked as if he was a little kid who`d just realized that it was in fact a huge Lego in the giftwrap and not just cleverly disguised underwear or socks.

"Damn, Sookie. You are fucking hot," he almost yelled.

It was not every day I was told I was hot, but I tried to pretend it was. I walked over to my tied up guest and started stroking him up and down his chest and then I bent down and licked his nipples.

"Bite just a little," he moaned and I complied.

After quite some time with licking, kissing and caressing, I yanked out the drawer of my bedside table and picked the very close friend I kept there. I also found the lubricant.

I deliberately kept both behind my back and away from Eric`s view. I suppose he thought I had found condoms because his face was full of anticipation when I closed in on a very erect part of his body.

His jaw dropped when I squirted lubricant on my fingers and put it on the vibrator.

"What the hell is that for, Sookie?" He shouted, yanking both hands and legs.

"What are vibrators usually for, Northman?" I asked innocently.

"You are not putting that … I`m not fucking gay, woman!"

Apparently I had advanced from bitch to woman. I smiled to him.

"What`s wrong with being gay?" I said in a very calm tone of voice.

"There`s nothing fucking wrong with being gay, but I`m not. You of all people should know that!" He was getting agitated.

"You still have a prostate gland that could benefit from a nice little massage."

Now he was really worried and I thanked myself for having put rags under the ropes. He would have been severely bruised from the ropes the way he was pulling. I was almost worried he would snap my bed.

"YOU KEEP AWAY FROM MY FUCKING PROSTATE, SOOKIE."

I decided I had tormented him enough so I put the vibrator down on my covers and started kissing his thighs and lower stomach while whispering soothing words to him.

"Shh, don`t worry. Trust me. I`m not doing anything that isn`t right for you. Trust me. Shhh."

He was still pretty tense when I grabbed him and slowly pulled his foreskin back and forth.

"Trust me, Northman," I said and then I glided my mouth down around him, licking him in the process. I was still dealing with a tense body, but the reason for it had changed. He was now moaning loudly.

I let my fingers trail the curly blond hair surrounding his length while my other hand went up and down in the same rhythm as my mouth.

I`d never given much head, blowjobs, licked pricks or played the meat flute. Not that I had anything against doing it. It was just the way my sex cards had fallen. But my lack of experience in that department did make me slightly self-conscious. So I listened hard to every moan, sigh and body-movement and adapted my sucking and licking to it.

After a short while, my self consciousness disappeared as Eric Northman apparently had the time of his life. He yelled profanities, moaned and his butt hadn`t touched my bed since I started my ministrations. Eric Northman`s back- and stomach muscles were apparently in much better shape than I had given him credit for.

Then all his muscles started to tremble and with a loud "OH FUCK" I got the taste of him. I gave him a few soft licks and then sat up.

He had his eyes closed and a little smile on his lips. I straddled his stomach and looked down at his face.

"Are you okay?" I whispered pushing a strand of his hair behind his ear. I let my fingers caress his cheek a little.

He opened his eyes and looked at me. "You are one crazy bi... woman," he said with the small smile still on his face.

"You have to trust me to have your best interests at heart. I may do things you don`t understand and you might think I`ll do things that go against who you are, but I won`t. I will push you as far as you need to go, but never further. Trust me on that, Northman, and we`ll be a great team."

He looked at me a while. Then he sighed.

"You did all this to prove a point as my coach?"

"What do you want to know, Northman? Am I into bondage? No, I`m not. Do I get off using my vibrator on men? Definitely not. Did I want to have sex with you? Yes. Yes, I did this to prove a point, but I still made sure you had a good time, right?"

"Fuck, Sookie." He shook his head. Then he pulled on the ropes. "Now get me out of these things so I can repay you."

I started undoing the ropes, but stopped halfway through.

"We`re okay with this, right?" I asked with a tiny bit of apprehension in my voice.

"Get the fucking ropes off me and I`ll teach you a lesson. You may not think I trust you and you are probably right. Not sure how waving a huge dildo around helped there, but all`s well that ends well."

"And the lesson you want to teach me?" I asked before I untied more ropes.

"To fucking relax!"

* * *

**A/N:**

Any suggestions as to how Eric will teach Sookie a lesson?

I hope you like this chapter :-D


	5. Chapter 5

**Dead on a Football Field – chapter 5**

**A/N:**

Thank you for all your great suggestions as to how Eric can get Sookie to relax. Of course The Great Northman has a mind of his own – read on and see.

I also want to thank you for your great reviews and comments. I did not know that a certain Edward Cullen drives the same "chick-car" I had Sookie drive. Here this car is sold by Volvo as a car for the independent woman. I know - I`ve drooled over it plenty of times.

But the person I want to thank the most is opera-hater (buuuh), but football-lover (yay) **Rascalthemutant** from the **Alexander Skarsgård Library Forum** for reading and correcting this. And if you wonder why I`m mentioning Rascal`s opera-hate – well, read on and see what I tormented her with in this chapter.

* * *

**From the previous chapter:**

**SPOV**

"_What do you want to know, Northman? Am I into bondage? No, I`m not. Do I get off using my vibrator on men? Definitely not. Did I want to have sex with you? Yes. Yes, I did this to prove a point, but I still made sure you had a good time, right?"_

"_Fuck, Sookie." He shook his head. Then he pulled on the ropes. "Now get me out of these things so I can repay you."_

_I started undoing the ropes, but stopped halfway through._

"_We`re okay with this, right?" I asked with a tiny bit of apprehension in my voice._

"_Get the fucking ropes off me and I`ll teach you a lesson. You may not think I trust you and you are probably right. Not sure how waving a huge dildo around helped there, but all`s well that ends well."_

"_And the lesson you want to teach me?" I asked before I untied more ropes._

"_To fucking relax!"_

* * *

**Chapter 5**

**EPOV**

Shit. That was the fucking best blowjob I`d ever had. I never knew I would fear a vibrator so much – or that the relief would be so great when it was not being used.

Sookie didn`t strike me as a know-it-all sex-goddess and I believed her when she said she wasn`t into BDSM-sex. But she knew the human mind and she certainly could make use of her knowledge as a lover.

And as a coach.

I swallowed a laugh. Oh, I wouldn`t be saying that I actually thought she was a great coach out loud any time soon. Not to her and definitely not to the guys on the team. How could I, with my hours and hours of anti-Sookie rant earlier this season?

And now I had promised I would get her to relax. She was the most tight-assed person I`d ever met and I was supposed to loosen her up? That would almost be a mission impossible.

I went to the bathroom, partly because I had urgent business to take care of and partly because I needed to think out a strategy. I wanted to screw her AND make her relax. Most people are pretty relaxed after an orgasm or three, but I wanted to relax her before the pleasure I was going to give her.

I opened the door to the bathroom hoping she would have a bathtub. Bathtubs are the perfect place for relaxation and even if water dries out natural fluids and makes sex tricky, few things could beat fucking in a warm bubble bath. Only a Jacuzzi would be better.

But I was disappointed. Practical Sookie Stackhouse only had a shower. Fucking in a shower had its moments, but there would be no relaxation involved. Only awkward positions.

I did my business, washed my hands and looked in the mirror. I was fucked. I wanted to give Sookie a memorable experience, but how the hell was I going to do it?

Kinky positions? Roleplay? Fucking in all the rooms? Using the vibrator on her?

I cringed. I would most certainly not touch Sookie`s vibrator. And I would go for simplicity. She would be relaxed and she would be fucked. In that order.

I went back to the bedroom, sporting a huge smile and holding a small bowl I found in her bathroom cabinet. I walked so slowly as not to spill the warm water I had poured in the bowl.

Sookie was in the bed, naked as when she came into this world. She looked a bit different, though. My cock started having opinions on the progression of the evening, but I had my plans. I put the bowl down next to the bed and went to her CD-collection.

"What kind of music do you like when you want to unwind?" I asked, taking a look at her CDs. Most of the music was unfamiliar to me. We might have agreed on The Police and AC/DC, but Sookie`s obvious love of classical music and even… I pulled out a CD … opera, was foreign to me.

Opera would be perfect for my plans, though. Not that I liked the shit, but if she did, opera was what we were going to listen to.

I looked at Sookie. "What`s your favorite opera?" I asked.

"Oh, that would without a doubt be Tosca. You`ll find it under P for Puccini."

I couldn`t help laughing. "It figures that you would alphabetize your record collection," I teased. "Everything in order, always in control."

Sookie frowned, but didn`t say anything.

I put on the CD and tried to close my ears. Fat ladies singing about heartbreak and death, from the top of their lungs, was never my favorite music. But Tosca immediately brought a smile on Sookie`s face.

"What is it about?" I asked in a low voice while looking for lotion in her nightstand drawer. I took the bottle of lotion and put it in the bowl. You don`t get much relaxation from cold lotion.

I turned Sookie around so that she was on her stomach. I put a pillow under her forehead to make sure she could breath and then I covered her upper body with her comforter.

I noticed that Sookie hadn`t answered my question. "What happens now?" I asked while taking large amount of lotion in my hands.

"The beginning of Tosca is a bit silly so I won`t explain it in detail," she answered.

"Oh, really? I though all operas were serious documentaries?" I teased. I couldn`t help myself.

"Funny, funny. Tosca takes place in Rome during a war against France. Tosca is a bimbo actress who is in love with the painter Mario Cavaradossa who also helps political refugees escape from the police. He has to keep a lot of secrets from her which makes her jealous because she thinks he has a lover. The bad guy of the opera is the chief of police, Scarpia, who wants Tosca for himself. He tries to get Tosca to reveal Mario`s secrets and since she is so incredibly stupid, she gets him imprisoned by accident. She then bargains with Scarpia for her dear Mario`s life and Scarpia agrees to give Mario a pretend-execution without bullets in exchange for some roll in the sheets."

"Roll in the sheets?" I laughed. The lotion was now warm enough to use and I started massaging Sookie`s foot, gaining me an instant moan.

"Well, she stabs him instead and runs to Mario`s execution, watches it and praises him for being so good at pretending to be dead, only to find that they had actually used bullets. She then throws herself from the tower," Sookie stated as if this was an everyday occurrence.

"Okay. And this is your favorite opera?" I couldn`t hide my doubt.

"It`s beautiful. Wait until you hear her scream `MARIO, MARIO` when she realizes he`s dead. You`ll cry." Sookie looked at me. "Well, you probably won`t, but I always do, so just be prepared for snot and tears here."

"Sounds romantic," I mumbled while giving each of her toes some tender loving care. Sookie turned her head.

"It is romantic. And it`s sad. He loves her even if she eventually destroys him and she loves him even if she is a dimwit who is mainly focused on her looks. They are very different and a disaster for each other, but there is still deep love."

I was amazed to hear Sookie talk so passionately about love.

I had started massaging her ankle and could feel that she was getting agitated instead of relaxed so I leaned down and kissed the small of her back.

"Just listen to all the romance and dream that you are bimbo-Tosca and let me massage you. This is not going to be foreplay or sexual in any way, so just relax."

When I saw Sookie`s skeptical look, I continued. "I can do non-sexual things to women too. I`m not that much of a man-whore." I tried to sound offended.

"No, it`s not that. It`s just … I always identified with Mario, never Tosca."

"Identify with Scorpius…"

"Scarpia," she corrected.

"… Scarpia, for all I care, but shut up and relax."

She actually did manage to be quiet and the only sounds in the room were those of cats having their tails being stepped on from the CD player. Opera was just as fucking awful as I had thought it would be. It was noise and pain, but I could feel Sookie`s muscles soften as I worked my way up her calf and knee, kneading and massaging very thoroughly.

When I got to her thigh, especially the upper inner part of it, Sookie`s breath became shorter and her muscles started to tense again.

"Shhh, this is purely non-sexual, remember? I am not suddenly going to poke my fingers into your p…., your gr…., well, I am massaging your body and nothing else. Just imagine that you are wearing panties."

She relaxed again and I smiled. I of course had the perfect view to her pussy and I couldn`t help casting glances at it. Ok, I stared in deep fascination. This massage may have been non-sexual for Sookie, but I had not made the same restrictions for myself. And apparently at least one part of Sookie was deaf to restrictions too. It was pretty swollen and wet.

And so was I.

I gave her other foot and leg the same treatment. Sookie had very soft skin, but also very pronounced muscles in her legs. She was definitely a footballer, a runner. I knew women who would be devastated to have calves and thighs like Sookie, but they looked great on her. Actually perfect.

Sookie started moaning again when I massaged the other thigh. I made a note in my inner notebook about sensual spots there. That would be handy information for later on.

To stop her from moaning, I bent over her and leaned my mouth down to her ear.

"What is happening to Tosca now?" I whispered.

Sookie coughed a little. "Scarpia is following Tosca to Mario`s place." Then she went back to listening mode and I could massage her butt. And what a butt it was. I probably gave it more attention than it needed, but I had needs too. Kneading Sookie`s butt seemed like the most important task in the world and it would be the fabric of some wet dreams later on.

After having given her butt the attention my center of lust demanded of me, I took the comforter from Sookie`s upper body and put it over the legs and butt, I had just massaged. I situated myself sitting on her butt, but not too heavily, one leg on each side of her.

Now it was time for her arms, back and neck to feel the talents of my hands. I started with her fingers and worked my way up her arms. She claimed women had most of their strength in the lower body, but I was massaging impressive biceps and triceps here.

This was definitely not the first time I`d give a woman a massage. For some reason, they are always clay in my hands after an hour with my fingers and some luke-warm lotion. But Sookie was by far the most muscular woman I had ever been in close encounter with. Which was not a bad thing. Definitely not.

After her back and neck had also been given the full Eric-treatment, I whispered for her to turn around and slide down a bit in the bed and make room for me at the head-board. I could hear that she was on the brink of falling asleep, which was perfect.

I gently put the comforter on her legs as they had already been given a thorough massage and then tried to find a way to sit at Sookie`s head without having a certain part on me in her face. Not that I usually objected to having my cock near a woman`s mouth, but it would have been pretty counterproductive just then.

I slid Sookie further down the bed to allow me more room for pointy objects. Long and hard pointy objects.

I started giving her a face massage, which gave me the opportunity to look closely at her features. She had a pretty plain face, actually. Her nose was a bit big and her lips a bit thin. But somehow it worked out just fine. Especially when there were emotions on her face. Her smile was fantastic and her laughter even better.

I hated when she was angry, which she seemed to be most of the time where I was concerned, but I would change that. Soon I would be seeing her face covered in lust and I would pay close attention.

My fingers ran down from her jaw to her torso. I avoided touching her breasts, but I couldn`t help staring at them. She had larger breasts than most women I had bedded. Correction: she had larger natural breasts than most women I had fucked.

Unlike the breast of the bimbos and models I had screwed over the years, Sookie`s actually acted with gravity and sagged slightly down to her sides. I had never realized how much breast implants had annoyed me before, probably because they never had. But now I only wanted natural, soft breasts. Always. Maybe I was getting sick? Coming down with the flu? I snickered quietly. Eric Northman being picky with breasts? That was a fucking good one.

I never realized that I had stopped massaging when I started mentally praising Sookie`s two soft assets. Suddenly I felt a pair of eyes on me and looked down to find her light blue ones staring at me.

"If you are finished drooling over my breasts, listen to the opera. This is the final scene. Now Tosca is telling her Mario to pretend to die when they shoot."

Sookie was quiet for a minute, then whispered "Listen for the melody. Isn`t it beautiful?"

I gave her a non-committal "hmm".

We listened a little longer, me with my hands on Sookie`s shoulders. Suddenly I heard distinct shots and Sookie whispered, "Now Mario was shot." And a few seconds later "Now she is praising him for being so good at pretending to be dead."

I didn`t need any explanations when `Tosca` screamed `Mario, Mario`. I felt goosebumps form on Sookie`s skin and looked down at her face. Tears formed in her eyes and she looked utterly sad.

I bent down to kiss her tears away and she pulled me further down with her hands on my neck.

"Don`t say I didn`t warn you, Northman. I`m not really sure if I like that you saw the romantic sap in me," she said in a strained voice.

I bent down to kiss her again. "Yes, God forbid that I ever saw anything else but the tough coach," I teased. She couldn`t help giggling and I kissed her harder. "I seem to remember that I was promised a meal on a certain body part of yours."

"You were promised?? I remember YOUR words being `where am I going to eat your pussy, Sookie`." The last words were said in a dopey voice.

"Oh, so that`s how I sound, huh? Well, at least I don`t bitch people around in a voice like that opera-singer screamed `Mario` in."

I kissed the tip of her nose to show her that I wasn`t looking for a fight. Then I bent further down and kissed one of her nipples. I decided that it tasted so good, I had to suck a little on it too.

Sookie moaned and gave my scalp its own little massage which made us moan in choir.

"I thought you said you wanted to go to my Chapel of Pleasure?" she asked with a strained voice, raising her hips slightly.

"Your Chapel of Pleasure?" I let my hands take over her breasts and kissed Sookie`s mouth again.

"You don`t like the name?"

"Oh, I love the name." _Kiss_. "It`s very fitting." I let a hand roam down her stomach and to the body part in question. She spread her legs. "Oh, very fitting indeed."

Sookie bucked her hips and I decided it was time for my dessert. I could have just bent over and eaten her upside down, but again that would put a very erect part of my body a bit too close to her face and I wanted this to be all about her. I wasn`t going for number-sex now.

I repositioned my body instead and soon my tongue was a devoted worshipper at Sookie`s Pleasure Chapel.

"So do you have a name for your cock?" she moaned.

When your tongue is occupied making a woman writhe and sigh, it`s really hard to answer questions, so my "no" came out more as "mmmhmm". I didn`t want her to know that I had baptized it `Sir Huge` ages ago, which would probably just make her die from laughter. I was looking for other kinds of reactions from her.

"No name, huh?" her voice was strained, but she kept talking.

Again my answer was "mmmhmm". I was working her harder to see if I could get her to shut up. Of course Sookie could probably talk her way through an orgasm, but at least I had her moaning louder.

"Mmmmm, what would be a fitting name?" she asked.

My tongue and mouth doubled their efforts and finally I got her to keep her mouth shut – guttural sounds not counting. Sookie held on to the head-board and then I got a deep growl when she came. There was no better sound in the world.

I licked and sucked on her inner thigh, enjoying the little aftershock waves she had going through her body. I licked my way up over her hips, her stomach, her breasts and when I got to her jaw, she grabbed my head with one hand and kissed me deeply. Her other hand searched her drawer for what I hoped would be a condom.

I breathed a little easier when I saw the little plastic in her hand. She gave me the condom and I sat up on my knees and pulled the condom on. Sookie was a very observant spectator.

"I have the perfect name for it, Northman," she said. "`Gracious Plenty`. It is a Gracious Plenty."

I smiled. Her name was even better than `Sir Huge` and I`m sure Gracious Plenty grew a few centimeters in pride.

"So do you want to baptize it at the chapel, Northman?" she asked in a husky voice.

"Oh yes!" and in one move I was all the way inside her.

I stopped and looked her deep in her eyes. "You have to say my name, Sookie."

"Northman," she answered with a wicked grin.

I pulled almost all the way out and in again and stopped.

"My name!"

"Northman," she laughed.

I pulled in and out a few times.

"My name, Sookie!"

"Northman," she moaned.

I decided to play dirty and moved faster and harder and when I still didn`t get my name over her lips, I yanked her legs up with my forearms. I leaned down and whispered in her ear while biting it. "Say my name."

She stayed silent.

I grabbed her butt and pumped fast. It felt so good, but I was determined not to stop before she screamed my name. It was hard since I felt my orgasm sneaking up on me. So it was with a guttural voice I yelled, "Dammit woman, say my name for fuck`s sake!"

"AAAARRRRGGGH!!" she screamed louder than any opera singer.

I decided that was close enough to `Eric`, which was fucking lucky as I was over the edge in the next push. And wouldn`t you know – I couldn`t help yelling "Sookie" at the top of my lungs.

I collapsed over her and it was only by gathering my last strength I managed to pull off my condom, throw it on the floor and slide down to lie beside Sookie.

"You definitely know how to make a woman relax, Northman," Sookie sighed. I should probably be bothered by the fact that she hadn`t said my first name properly, but instead I said, as some fucking lovesick puppie:

"Only you, Sookie. Only you." And then we both fell asleep, lights on, condom on the floor and all.

The last word that crossed my mind was `amazing` while snuggling closer to her body.

* * *

**A/N:**

So what do you think of Northman`s, sorry Eric`s, way of making Sookie relax?

If you want to see the finale of Tosca, I can recommend this version: www [dot] youtube [dot] com [slash] watch?v=n6kTmWYIAcw&NR=1 (put in dots and slashes – fanfic doesn`t let us post URLs)

It makes me cry too. Every time I see it. Every. Time.


	6. Chapter 6

**Dead on a Football Field – chapter 6**

**A/N:**

Thank you so much for all your great reviews to this story!

I`m going on Christmas vacation across the Atlantic in a little over a week and I`m planning on posting one more chapter, the last one, to this story before I leave.

I also want to thank **Rascalthemutant** for reading this chapter and assuring me it isn`t too sappy. This is not a sappy story, but I can`t deny them a little romance, right? :-D

I hope you`ll like it!

* * *

**From the previous chapter:**

_I collapsed over her and it was only by gathering my last strength I managed to pull off my condom, throw it on the floor and slide down to lie beside Sookie. _

"_You definitely know how to make a woman relax, Northman," Sookie sighed. I should probably be bothered by the fact that she hadn`t said my first name properly, but instead I said, as some fucking lovesick puppie:_

"_Only you, Sookie. Only you." And then we both fell asleep, lights on, condom on the floor and all. _

_The last word that crossed my mind was `amazing` while snuggling closer to her body. _

* * *

**Chapter 6**

**SPOV**

I woke up the next morning with a smile on my face and muscles that had never been in less pain. I was relaxed and felt perfect.

Well, up until I realized I had the star striker of my team around me like an octopus. It`s not that I don`t like snuggling, but this was just wrong on so many levels. We weren`t allowed to have any kind of sexual relationship and I had no plans on turning soft on Northman. I wouldn`t be in his best interest.

When I turned around and looked into the largest grin in the history of waking up together after sex, I knew I had screwed up big time. And I was fucked. In more than one way.

He was way too handsome for his own good. No, for my own good. I couldn`t help smiling back and I wanted to kick myself in the butt for it.

"Good morning you relaxed and itty-bitty romantic sap," he whispered and kissed me lightly on my lips.

"Good morning you lazy and vibrator-scared ass with magic fingers," I whispered back.

Then I felt those magic fingers sneaking in between my legs.

"And good morning to the Chapel of Pleasure. It definitely lives up to its name," he said with a wicked grin.

I grabbed on to his morning wood.

"And good morning to the Gracious Plenty." I gave it a few strokes. "You know we can`t do this," I said, looking him in the eyes and then kissing him deeply.

"Why is that?" he asked after I had pulled back from his mouth.

I looked at him. "We are breaking the team-rules, Northman." It`s hard to look serious when you have your hand on someone`s dick and his hand making all kinds of wonders between your legs, but I tried.

"Fuck the team," he laughed. Then he looked at me. "No, fuck you. And I mean that literally."

So he did.

Xxxxx

"Eat your oatmeal, Northman. I haven`t put any rat poison in it." I rolled my eyes.

"Well, you might as well have. It tastes like shit." He looked at me. "No offense, Sookie, but I hate oatmeal."

"So what do you usually have for breakfast? Coco Pops or Cheerios or some other sugar coated crap?"

"Yeah, yeah, talk to me like I`m a teenager, Sookie. It`ll only make you the weirdest cougar on earth. As a matter of fact, I don`t eat breakfast. I get up around noon most days anyway and start my day with a nice cup of coffee."

"Actually Coco Pops are eaten by five year olds…"

Northman got up so fast, his chair fell over.

"Shit, Sookie. How come you can`t treat me with a little respect? We`ve fucked from here to the moon and I can`t remember any complaints there, but as soon as we are out of the bed…"

"Or the gym locker room," I cut in with a sly smile.

"Well, as soon as we are fully dressed, you seem to think I`m an idiot and a fool."

"And you can`t see I`m just looking out for you." I was getting annoyed now which made my voice go just a little bit louder. "I keep telling you that you are throwing away your talent. You have to work out properly and eat the right food."

"I work out, for fuck`s sake." His tone of voice was louder than I would have preferred. " I`ve done every fucking thing you`ve told me. What the hell more do you want?" Northman got up and walked over to me and pulled me down in a chair. "Would it harm you in any way to talk to me like this:" now his voice got softer and his hand moved from one of my shoulders and to my neck in a sweet caress. "My dear Eric. You have a great body and a fantastic talent. I`ve seen you work hard, but you would probably do even better if you ate differently. Come let me help you make a diet plan."

I stared at him. Of course he had a point. But then again, he didn`t.

"You have me confused with one of your star-struck bimbos, Northman. If you want the admiration and sweet-loving words, you are in the wrong house, talking to the wrong person."

"I don`t think I am, Sookie. I`ve seen you with the other players and I don`t get why you can be nice to Sam and not to me?" He sounded almost hurt.

"Maybe because you and Sam need different types of coaching?" I tried to make my tone of voice stern and wasn`t inviting him to answer me. That, of course, didn`t stop the mighty Northman.

"Or maybe you are just afraid of being soft with someone you have feelings for," he said in a lower voice.

"You wish," I spat eloquently, wishing I had found a better come-back. "Now if you can get over your hurt pride and eat your oatmeal, then maybe we could relax before another stressful day." I knew when I saw Northman`s face that I had used the wrong word.

"You are insatiable, woman. I `relaxed`" he made quotation marks with his fingers "you last night and you got some `relaxation`" again the annoying quotation marks "this morning too, and still you want more." He went over to me, turned around and shook his butt. "You want a piece of my butt, Sookie?"

I smacked him.

"Sit your butt down and eat, Northman."

He was in his playful mood and had apparently decided not to stop making a fool of himself until he saw me smile. And I couldn`t help myself. Eric Northman had graduated from University of Silly Charm and Hot Moves and there was nothing I could do about it. I smiled. And I laughed.

Northman did a little victory dance, then he finished his coffee and was out the door.

His oatmeal was untouched on the breakfast table.

Xxxxx

**EPOV**

I slaved like a dog doing all the things Sookie claimed would make me a better football player and I felt like a little dog too most of the time. She would call me and I would come. And then we would come – pardon the cheap pun.

I ate sensibly, I worked out more than I ever had before, I fucked regularly – and I made headlines with my magic on the football field. Our team did great, we were in the top of the league half way through season and we were looking at medals. And I was getting the credit. I felt like a king. King being a great name for a dog and all.

I should have been content. I was living the dream I had had since puberty, being the star striker of my team and having a nice girl to fuck regularly, but I wanted more. I wanted even more success on the football field, knowing that my days were numbered – and I wanted more Sookie.

Sookie and I met a couple of times every week. We argued, we laughed and we screwed like bunnies. But we never made any commitments and I hated that.

Yes, I was a guy last time I checked and no, I was not growing soft. But I wanted Sookie to acknowledge that we were a couple. It wasn`t that I suspected her of screwing around. It was just that I wanted … more.

But I wasn`t getting it. I tried working even harder than she asked me to, I argued with her and I stayed away to make her miss me. And I was the sweetest of sweethearts, making me almost diabetic from all the sugar I poured over her. Nothing helped.

Sookie never gave me any reasons so I figured I would just have to bide my time and hope for the best. I wasn`t in a hurry to get married and have kids and Sookie didn`t seem like the type who would suddenly find someone new.

So instead of hammering on her walls or sugarcoating them, I set up camp on the outside and waited for the cracks to appear.

In the meantime, I tried hard to reach my goals on the field. And one day in the late summer, I finally got the call I had been waiting all these years for.

I was chosen to play for the national team in the upcoming game. The fucking national team. The national fucking team. Fucking hell.

I was three inches above ground and had no plans on landing just yet. I wanted to celebrate and I knew who I wanted to celebrate with. I was half way to the stores to buy champagne, when I remembered the last time I had stood on Sookie`s door step with bottles of bubbly. Nope, I wanted to bring something else.

Then I had the perfect idea. I went online, bought what I wanted to buy and skipped all the way to Sookie`s house.

**SPOV**

Northman was sporting the biggest god-damned smile when I opened the door. I was in no mood for smiles and definitely in no mood for Eric fucking Northman.

I had just dried my eyes, but my date with Kleenex was certainly not over. I knew this would be one of the worst days of my life, but Jason had just made the day go from painful to a living hell.

And then Northman was on the door with his sly smile and something behind his back. I had no idea what he had planned and I didn`t want to hear about them.

This day had always been me, Kleenex and the memories. Every year. And it being the 20th anniversary just made the day so much worse. And now with the phone call about Jason on top of it. Fucking hell.

I decided to grab the bull by his horns. Before Northman even got to voice his silly joy, I cut him off.

"You have to go, Northman!" I tried to close the door.

"What? NO! Shit, Sookie. We are celebrating. I`m on the national team!! I got us opera tickets. Fucking Tosca!!" He sounded like a fucking kid.

Way back in my mind I heard him talking about the national team and Tosca, but it never connected. I let out a large sob before I managed to control myself.

"You have to go, Northman. Piss off!"

I saw shock on his face, but I didn`t have any strength to care so I just slammed the door in his face. Soon I was lying on my bed, crying my eyes out.

**EPOV**

What the fuck? No, WHAT THE FUCK???!!

She slammed the door in my face? When I had opera tickets. When I had fucking opera tickets to fucking Tosca with fucking Mario being fucking shot.

I would actually go to an opera with Sookie. That's how much I liked her. And I would do it to celebrate the biggest step in my entire career. I was even planning on thanking her. Giving her some of the credit.

The fucking bitch. The fucking stupid bitch.

I must have looked like a moron, talking to myself, turning around every five minutes because I couldn`t decide whether to go back to Sookie to tell her what a bitch she was or just go home and fume.

I chose the latter.

I went home and I more than fumed. I boiled over. Then I broke a few things. By the time I started having reporters calling me to get their quotes from the new "old" striker on the national team, I was able to fake some kind of joy and happiness.

Of course that stopped pretty quickly when the third reporter started asking the wrong questions.

"So what do you feel about being on the team just because Jason Stackhouse started drinking again? Isn`t his sister your coach?"

I hung up before I said anything I would regret. And then I turned my phone off. And took the battery out.

Fuck. So this was the reason Sookie wouldn`t talk to me? She was mad because I`d taken her brother`s place on the team. I sagged down in a chair and sighed. This was how little my football career meant to her.

I was hurt and I was mad. I thought I meant more to Sookie and that she would be happy for me. But now… that bitch.

Then it hit me what the reporter had told me. Jason Stackhouse had started drinking again. Again? I never knew he was drinking in the first place. Sookie must have been worried sick. Suddenly my anger turned into worry. And also a tiny bit of joy. Call me shallow, but it felt much better that Sookie was worried about her brother than for her to not want me to be on the national team.

Before I knew it, I was out the door again. Now I wanted to comfort Sookie. Never mind celebrating with her. I wanted to offer her my shoulder to cry on.

I actually felt good about myself. I`d never been a shoulder for anyone`s tears. Maybe I was maturing? I laughed a little at myself. Sookie was rubbing off on me.

I felt silly for skipping all the way back to Sookie`s place, so I took my car this time. I rang the doorbell and waited. And waited.

After a very long time, she opened the door, but she was on the phone. She looked at me, but couldn`t say anything to me since she had someone on the line.

We both did a little mime act – me asking to be invited in and her shaking her head. I was persistent and finally she gave up and turned around leaving the door open for me. I followed her and closed the door behind me.

I tried not to listen in on the phone conversation, but couldn`t help noticing that she was talking to someone about Jason`s problems, a doctor maybe. She sounded very to-the-point and firm, but I could see her despair. My heart broke when a tear fell down her cheek.

After a good ten minutes, she hung up and looked at me.

"As you can see, I`m in no mood for celebrating. I`m happy for you, Northman, but I can`t jump up and down right now. You should find someone else to share your good news with."

She looked like a balloon that had lost all its gas. I pulled her in for a deep hug and after a while I felt her body shake in deep sobs.

This was so unexpected. Sookie had shown me anger and lust. She had laughed with me on occasion and that one time when she listened to the opera, she had even shown me love, but never ever had I seen her sad. And this was beyond sad, this was despair.

I had never had her need me. I felt bad for feeling so good about her clinging to me and crying into my shirt, but I couldn`t help smiling just a little bit to myself. I also felt very sad for her, of course. I`m not totally heartless.

But for a moment Sookie and I were a real couple, sharing problems. We weren`t just fuckbuddies or coach and player.

I bent down and kissed her on the top of her head.

"Shhh Sookie. Jason will kick this shit and be back on his feet again. Don`t worry."

My hand went slowly up and down her back and her sobs slowed down. Then she stepped back a little and looked at me.

"It`s not just Jason," she sighed. "Today is the worst day of my life."

Then she started crying again and I picked her up and carried her to her bed. She looked at me with anger.

"Jesus Christ, Northman. I`m not about to have sex with you NOW!" Her voice cracked.

I almost lost my temper, but I knew I had to be the calm one now. I kissed her forehead.

"I am not in the habit of sleeping with girls who are deep in despair. I just figured you needed to lie down."

She turned to her side and buried her head in my shirt.

"I`m sorry," she whispered.

Now would have been the time to check for flying pigs, but I was busy checking my heart. It was swelling.

"Don`t worry, honey. I`m here. Just cry or be mad or anything that will make you feel better." I pulled her a little closer.

"Can I tell you something? Would that be okay?" she asked.

My heart made a little flip in joy that she would confide in me.

"Of course, Sookie."

She pulled back to lie on her back. She stared at the ceiling, but her hand found mine.

"Today it`s twenty years ago since my parents died in a car accident. That`s why Jason is drinking. He has been drinking the last month and he drinks every year around this date."

She turned her head and looked me in the eyes. Her despair killed me and I suddenly didn`t know what to do. I wanted to be her knight in shining armor, but how could I take away that kind of pain?

"Oh shit, Sookie. I`m sorry!" I answered her eloquently.

I pulled her back into my arms and she partly cried, partly told me the whole story about her parents and Jason.

SPOV

If someone had told me I would cry on Eric`s chest and actually feel good about it, I would probably have laughed hard enough to bust a rib. But this was what happened.

I cried and then we talked. And then we fell asleep. Clothes on and everything.

I was the first to wake up the next morning and I contemplated if I should feel awkward about the whole mess, but I didn`t. For some reason I felt relieved. Like someone had taken a splint out of my heart.

I leaned over and kissed the tip of Nothman`s nose. His eyes fluttered a little then he opened them and looked at me with concern.

"How are you?" he asked.

"Better." I answered and I really felt better. I was grateful. Since Gran died, I hadn`t had anyone comfort me on this terrible day. And it being the 20 year anniversary and all, made me appreciate Northman`s concern all the more. "Thank you," I said in a low voice. I was not used to showing my vulnerable side like this.

He pulled me close. "I`m the one who should be thankful, Sookie. You let me in and I really appreciate it. It made me feel…"

I couldn`t help giggling.

"Okay, Northman. Let`s not get all sappy here. You were there for me yesterday and I am grateful. The big question is if it changes anything." He had huge question marks in his eyes. "Between us, I mean," I clarified.

We looked at each other for a moment. I felt a sudden wave of insecurities wash over me and regretted lowering my mask at all and definitely asking him about our relationship. Shit, what was I thinking? I was an easy fuck for him. A fuck and a boost of confidence. And of course his superb coach. But I wasn`t his girlfriend and never would be.

That was what I figured those minutes of dreadful silence meant. I figured wrong.

Eric swallowed something huge. "If it`s okay with you, I would like to inform Andre and Sophie Anne that we are officially a couple."

My jaw hit the floor. Then I panicked.

"NO!" I yelled.

He looked hurt and normally I wouldn`t have cared, but now it didn`t sit right with me. I took his hand.

"I don`t want you to risk everything now that you just reached one of your goals," I reassured him.

My reassurance did its job and he kissed me.

"For being such a smart chick, you are pretty stupid, Sookie," he smiled. "Both you and I are too valuable right now for us to lose our jobs just because we broke a silly, little rule." Then his smile went wide. "And just imagine how much great PR the club is going to get when our romantic little love story hits the front pages."

I stiffened.

"Oh," was all I could say.

He laughed. "Don`t worry. We`ll ask them to keep a low profile until you are ready to admit that you are deeply in love with the lazy ass striker on the team," he started tickling me.

I couldn`t have that, so I pulled his hair. "Yeah, like you are going to admit that you have given your heart to your bitchy coach."

The tickling and the hairpulling escalated and soon we were kissing deeply and passionately.

"Are you okay with this?" he managed to ask between kisses. "We don`t have to do anything, you know."

But we did. I wanted to feel alive. I wanted to chase the ghosts away. And I suppose I also wanted to celebrate that Eric Northman and I had taken our relationship to a new step.

Acknowledging that it was a relationship.

* * *

**A/N:**

So what do you think of them taking the relationship to a new step?

I hope you liked this chapter – and the story.

Who of you have a team in the World Championship in South Africa next year?

Denmark is there – yay - and we`ll meet Japan, Netherlands and Cameroon in the group play. Sounds like a great group. Fantastic teams who play fun football. I can`t wait!!


	7. Chapter 7

**Dead on a Football Field – chapter 7**

**A/N: **

Thank you so much for your great reviews to the last chapter!

This is the last chapter of my little football tale. I never meant the story to be long. It was just a story about Eric and Sookie and their banter, sex and eventually something more. Never anything interfering or anyone coming between them - Bill, Quinn and Sam were only extras.

Thank you so much to **Rachalthemutant** who liked the final chapter too and gave it the go ahead. No **Rascal** – no story!

* * *

**From the previous chapter:**

_The tickling and the hairpulling escalated and soon we were kissing deeply and passionately. _

"_Are you okay with this?" he managed to ask between kisses. "We don`t have to do anything, you know."_

_But we did. I wanted to feel alive. I wanted to chase the ghosts away. And I suppose I also wanted to celebrate that Eric Northman and I had taken our relationship to a new step. _

_Acknowledging that it was a relationship. _

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Xxxx

Sophie Anne and Andre were not very surprised when we announced our relationship. And we weren`t kicked out of the club, which had been my biggest worry ever since Northman and I fucked in a hotel room so long ago.

"We only made the rule to make sure you weren`t sexually harassed, Sookie," Sophie Anne said with a smile. "Now that it`s voluntary, we`ll just can that rule."

My tall, blond striker pulled me closer to him.

"Oh, she will be sexually harassed on a daily basis, Sophie Anne. Don`t worry."

He was so full of himself, I couldn`t help flipping him the bird.

"Just make sure this doesn`t interfere with results on the field," Andre warned.

"But it does interfere with result," I said. "This lazy ass here needed some motivation," I teased. "Look how well he`s doing."

"You are really sacrificing everything for the club, huh Sookie?" Northman winked. "Every time we have sex you are staring at the ceiling, not enjoying anything and only thinking of the next game?"

Andre and Sophie Anne suddenly became very busy.

"We do not want to hear about your sex life and that goes for all the players too. So just keep it professional." Sophie Anne tried to be serious.

And she was right. Of course we wouldn`t be a couple outside my house or his apartment – and perhaps a few more places if the urges came over us. We would be tough assistant coach and successful footballer and nothing more when we had people around us.

Northman had a harder time keeping his dirty mouth to himself, but a stare from me usually helped. Or a harsh word. I sometimes contemplated buying one of those dog collars with electric power in them and pressing the button on the remote to "on" every time I heard him make one of his extremely lame sexual innuendos. Being slightly electrocuted from time to time might teach him a lesson. But then, pain and domination had never turned me on.

Northman really did play like a god of football and I was impressed with his attitude. Gone was the lazy ass I had met in the beginning of the season and in return I had a very dedicated athlete on my team.

Granted, he was no Emil Zatopek, the Czech runner who had been so dedicated at running, he, at the spur of the moment, signed up for the marathon too, after having run the 5000 and 10.000 meter. "Just for the fun of it." And he won. An Olympic Gold Medal. After having won the two others.

No, he was no Emil Zatopek running just for the fun of it, but he wasn`t complaining and bitching about it either.

All in all, Northman and I worked out very well. We had tons of fun. Incredible sex. We even talked a lot and got pretty close. I had started to trust him when he comforted me on that shitty day I thought I would never survive. And he showed me deeper sides of himself. I knew he wasn`t stupid, but I had been prejudicial enough to be surprised at how smart he actually was.

So when he one day came with two suitcases in addition to the toothbrush and shaver he already had at my place, it only felt natural.

We were a good team privately and on a great team professionally. I liked my life.

Of course destiny had to fuck it up. And I couldn`t even blame Northman. He just followed his dream. It was when he thought it was my dream too, things fell apart.

**EPOV**

This was a perfect summer. I had found a new level of talent somewhere. Or maybe it had been there all the time, but Sookie`s bossing me around with exercise and food had brought it out in the open.

When I got the call from the national team coach, I knew this was an opportunity I wanted to use for all it was worth. And I did. I scored a perfect goal against Austria, but that wasn`t really noticed by anyone but crying Austrians. And the cheering supporters carrying me off the field. I was a hero for several days.

It was the game against Italy that really did it for me. Italy always made us shiver in our shorts. Not only did they win most games, but you knew you would have to have at least one goal before they got into the match, because the cowards put everyone in defense the second they were ahead.

I had always hated Italian football. I hated how they fell the minute someone looked at them funny, trying to get the referee to issue penalties to the opposing team. For me British football was the ideal, not Italian. And I went into the match with a deep desire to score goals.

Which I did. Three times. It was even a true hattrick and that evening I could read about myself in sportspapers all over Europe. Fuck, it felt good.

I made sure to give Sookie credit for it, both in public and privately. In spite of sore muscles, I fucked Sookie into Orgasm Heaven that night and I fell asleep knowing life couldn`t be better.

The next day showed me that I had been wrong. Life could indeed be even better. An agent approached me about a contract with an English team. It wasn`t Premier league, but as close to it as one could come.

It was West Bromwich Albion, a team with a great history. Unfortunately the yo-yo curse had been cast on the club, making them go up and down from Premier League every summer. This summer they had gone down and they needed reinforcements. And I was on their very short list.

Imagine how life can turn around when you meet the right girl?

The agent was not a fool. He had done his homework and his first question, after we had said a few pleasantries, was "What about Sookie Stackhouse?"

I figured there wasn`t any reason to feign ignorance. She was an important part of my life and the agent apparently knew it. I had to admit that a little guy inside me did summersaults. My relationship with Sookie had reached the ears of important agents. I smiled because somehow it made Sookie and me more official.

"She means very much to me," I answered.

Now the agent smiled at me.

"I`m very glad to hear that because WBA also wants to make her an offer. They need a new assistant coach and they are very impressed with what she`s been doing here. I mean," he looked at me conspiratorially, "we all know that the success of this team had nothing to do with Andre."

Now my inner guy went from summersaults to frantic screaming in joy. But I kept my cool.

"I`m sure Sookie would be a perfect choice for you. I must admit that I hated the idea of having a female coach when she came to the team, but she is tough enough to deal with arrogant asses like me and she impresses me every day. She knows everything there is to know about coaching and she is not afraid of using it."

I stopped myself before I started to sound like a telemarketing person, trying to sell a new insurance.

"That sounds good. I have been authorized to give you both an offer if I thought your relationship wouldn`t cause any problems for the club. And it doesn`t seem to so if I will call Ms. Stackhouse immediately and ask for a meeting."

Then I said something I would later regret saying.

"Can I bring her the good news?"

Such an innocent sentence. So much trouble it brought us.

**SPOV**

Northman would never win a poker game because all his emotions were right there in his face. When he came home that evening, and yes, my house was now his home too, he couldn`t stop smiling, even if he tried very hard when he saw me looking at him.

After an hour of silliness I had finally had it.

"You look like a cat that swallowed a canary. Tell me what is happening or I will tie you down and tickle you with a feather. Slowly." I couldn`t help smiling since his face was so filled with joy.

"Oooh, sounds tempting," he wiggled. Then he started coughing slightly and I suddenly paled and lost my breath. What if he was going to ask me to marry him? Nooo, he couldn`t be that stupid?

"Yeah, yeah. Enough of that vulture-circling around a dead camel. Speak up, Nothman. You obviously have something to say."

He pulled me down on the couch and that got me even more nervous. I was ready to jump up and run for the hills if he made any attempts of getting down on his knees.

"You are right, Sookie. I have some great news for us." He grabbed both my hands. Then he looked me in the eyes for a few minutes. "We have both been offered a contract with West Bromwich Albion," he said and he smiled wider than the wife of a US presidential candidate.

"What do you mean we have both been offered contracts? You have been offered a contract to play for WBA?" I didn`t understand anything of what he was saying.

"YES!" He almost made a `Tom Cruise visits Oprah` on my sofa. "I`m going to play for them if Sophie Anne agrees to sell me, but I can`t see how she can say no to all the millions they will be throwing at her."

I smiled. "That`s great, Northman. You really deserve this. You`ve worked hard for it and you have a great talent. I`m so glad for you." I leaned over to give him a hug. This was fantastic. It was his dream come true.

In the back of my mind, a little voice started worrying about how we would keep seeing each other, but I shut that voice up. Hell no, if I was going to stand in his way. An opportunity like this would never come back.

"Didn`t you hear the other part of it, Sookie?" He had little stars in his eyes. "They want you as well. As assistant coach. We`ll still be a team!"

"What do you mean? They`ve never asked me to come join them."

"No, they asked me and I told them I could ask you."

What the hell?? I was stunned and I couldn`t say a word. Unfortunately Northman took that as utter happiness and he kept rambling about how perfect this would be and how happy he was for us. I had to stop him.

"I can`t go, Northman!" I yelled to get through his happy word-vomit.

He stared at me, apparently trying to see if I was joking. I wasn`t.

"What do you mean, Sookie? It`s a great opportunity for you and we can still be together." He searched his brain. "And you can be closer to Jason when he gets out of rehab."

"If I sign with a club, I want to know they wanted me for me, not because of who I screw."

Sometimes it`s best to be blunt.

"What the hell, Sookie. You stupid b… . They wanted you for you…"

"Which was why they sent you to ask me?" I stated.

"What? No! They wanted to ask you themselves, but…"

"But they wanted to make sure it was fine by you first."

"Well, yes, but that doesn`t mean anything. They have seen your work and want you for you."

"Somehow I doubt it. And I`m not going."

He was stunned and looked at me with a mixture of hurt and anger.

"So this…" his hand made a movement between us, "means nothing to you?"

Fuck. I was hurt because they wanted me to sign on as some sort of football wife under contract and he was hurt because I said no.

We quarreled most of the night and in the end he went home. To HIS home. Not mine.

Xxxx

It was painful to say goodbye to him and I cried myself to sleep every night for a month. I had never felt like this over anyone before and it was a shock for me to realize how much Northman had actually gotten under my skin.

The lazy, arrogant bastard. And I was in love with him.

I threw myself into my job, but coaching Quinn, who now had Northman`s spot, just wasn`t the same.

Then one day when I came home from work, a guy was sitting on the stairs to my front door. He got up when he saw me approach, held out his hand and introduced himself.

"I`m the agent who lured Eric out of the country," he said.

I wanted to punch him for causing me so much grief, but I also wanted to kiss him for giving Northman the opportunity he deserved.

"And I`m the assistant coach who stayed behind," I answered.

"Yes, that was what I came to talk to you about. May I come in?"

"Sure." I opened the door and let him hang his coat and showed him to my couch. "Can I get you a cup of tea or coffee or something?"

"No, but please sit down here with me. "

"Okay," I said and sat down in my recliner.

"West Bromwich Albion really needs you, Ms. Stackhouse. I have a contract here and I hope you will at least consider it."

"They need me for…?" I asked in a hard voice, afraid of the answer.

"The coach is great at football strategy and at putting together the perfect team, but he is not very good at turning good players into great ones. I understand this is your strength and they need it."

"So they want my coaching skills?"

"Yes, Ms. Stackhouse. They are offering you a job as assistant coach. A real one. Not a bogus one."

"And?" I asked.

"And what?"

"They want me as a coach and?"

He looked at me without understanding what I meant.

"My point is that I am a good assistant coach, but I`m not the only one around. Why me?"

He nodded and smiled in acknowledgement of my question.

"To be honest, the club also finds it positive that you are a woman. They hope to attract more female fans by hiring you. But I can assure you that your coaching skills are what made them make the offer in the first place. You being a woman is just beautiful icing on the cake."

"Thank you. But I`m sure there is at least one more reason why they made this offer?"

The agent laughed.

"You have quite a head on your shoulders, Ms. Stackhouse, and you are not afraid of asking the tough questions. I like that." He coughed a little. "To give you an honest answer, yes, West Bromwich Albion currently has a sulking striker bitching at everyone in the team and they would love to see him happy. But they would never have made you this offer if they didn`t want you to actually coach. You will just have to trust me on that one."

I was quiet for a while, thinking it through. Then I asked him a few questions on the terms in the contract and before he left that evening, he had my signature on it.

A stone fell from my heart.

**Xxxxx**

**Five years later**

**xxxxx**

**EPOV**

I couldn`t have stopped smiling if I had been paid a million kroner for it. I had after all waited for this day, this moment, for so long. I could not count the number of times Sookie had said no and finally she had agreed.

The two year contract with West Bromwich Albion had turned into four and when Sophie Anne rang Sookie to ask her if she would take over as head coach after Andre, I figured that my football career was over and I went home with her.

I had taken coaching courses while being a player so when I came home, I was offered a position coaching a women`s team. Actually it was Sookie`s old team. How ironic was that?

I didn`t have Sookie`s willpower as a coach, but I got along fine on my charm. A women`s team was clay in my hands. I just needed to smile and wiggle my eyebrows a little and all the players worked much harder in practice and in the games.

It was probably against some moral codex for coaches to use their looks and charms, but it got me my results and that was what mattered. I never did anything inappropriate with the players, of course, I had my Sookie and wanted no one else. But I could still use my manwhoring or male-bimbo streaks, right?

I would never be able to coach a male team, though. I was pretty sure they wouldn`t run an extra lap just for an eyebrow wiggle from The Great Northman.

And now I was here, waiting for Sookie. I had butterflies in my stomach and I felt like throwing up, but it was still the happiest day of my life.

I looked at all the people waiting for us. Some of them had just come out of curiosity, but most of them were close friends and family. Sookie`s friends and family. My friends and family. No, ours. After today they were all ours.

The doors of the church opened and so did my mouth. Sookie stood there with Jason holding her arm, and she was a sight for gods.

I couldn`t help smiling when I saw her dress. She had of course turned down the traditional white layercake of a dress and wore instead one that was custom made in all kinds of colors. It was made out of flags from her club. No, our club. The club where we met each other. I don`t know why Dolly Parton`s song `Coat of Many Colors` came to my mind, because Sookie`s dress was made with care and it looked great.

Sookie looked fantastic and from the gasp in the church, I would say everyone agreed.

I loved that woman and I couldn`t wait until she came to the altar. Why did Jason walk so slowly? Fuck, wasn`t he an ex-footballer? One would think he could move those feet a bit faster.

I looked down to double check my own clothes. I wore the traditional black jacket and trouser, but I smiled when I looked at my vest because it was also sewn from club flags. And so was my neck tie. Sookie and I had apparently had the same crazy idea – and it proved yet again how well we fit each other. Not that I needed proof of our compatibility. Not after all we had been through together.

Finally Jason Slowfoot had his sister by my side and I kissed her cheek and held her hand. The minister turned around and looked at us.

"Eric, Sookie. We are gathered here today to join…."

I didn`t hear anything else. I felt Sookie`s warm hand in mine and my brain could only administrate one sentence right now and that was `I`m getting married to Sookie, I`m getting married to Sookie.`

I would just have to see the ceremony on video afterwards because it was not possible for me to see or hear anything now. Well, not until I heard the important words.

"Say after me, Sookie. I Sookie…"

"I Sookie…" she said.

"Take you Eric…"

"Take you Eric…"

I couldn`t help smirking and suddenly Sookie realized it too. She looked at me, first with question in her eyes and then with realization. For the first time in our 5 year relationship, I had managed to get Sookie to call me Eric. Not Northman, not Eric Northman. Eric.

I mentally thanked the minister for agreeing on not to say our last names. And not telling Sookie about the agreement.

Sookie finished repeating the minister and afterwards it was my turn. I smiled at her when I emphasized my name and I could see her lips mime something to me.

_Fuck you_, they said. Of course to most of the people watching us, it would seem that she mimed _Love you_, but I knew Sookie. _Fuck you_ would definitely be something she could say at her wedding. In the church. In front of the minister.

I bent over and kissed her cheek and then whispered in her ear: "I love you too, Mrs. Northman". I couldn`t help laughing silently. Sookie would of course never change to my last name and I would never ask her to. Why should I? But I was still allowed to tease her, right?

Her opinion on that matter came when I pulled back and looked her in the eyes. Out of her mouth darted her pink little tongue at me. I laughed and so did the whole church.

And after all, she could have flipped me the bird. Which could have been pretty awkward given that a picture of it definitely would be on the front-page of tomorrow`s papers.

* * *

**The End**

**A/N**

Thank you for following this story to the end. I hope you liked it :-D


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